Indian Woman Deported to Bangladesh Returns Amid Citizenship Probe

Indian Woman Deported to Bangladesh Returns Amid Citizenship Investigation

Sunali Khatun, 25, a pregnant domestic worker from West Bengal, returned to India in December 2023. This followed her deportation to Bangladesh in June of the same year. Khatun, her husband Danish Sheikh, and their eight-year-old son were detained in Delhi and subsequently deported on suspicion of being illegal immigrants. Bangladeshi authorities then incarcerated the family for unlawful entry.

The deportation of Khatun's family attracted significant media attention and was criticized by the West Bengal government. The state government accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led federal government of deporting her without sufficient cause. Khatun's case is part of a larger pattern, with hundreds of individuals having been detained and deported to Bangladesh in recent months, also on suspicion of being illegal immigrants.

Official data on these deportations from Delhi has not been publicly released. However, sources within the Bangladesh government reported to the BBC that over 1,200 individuals were "illegally pushed in" during May. Separately, the government-run All India Radio indicated that approximately 700 people were repatriated from Delhi in the same month.

India has a history of addressing alleged Bangladeshi immigration. Both nations share a 4,096km (2,545-mile) porous border spanning five Indian states. West Bengal, like other border regions, has historically experienced migration driven by economic factors and, at times, religious persecution. Rights activists have stated that recent deportations primarily target Bengali-speaking Muslims and are conducted without adherence to due process.

Khatun's family, along with three neighbors — all identified as Bengali-speaking Muslims — were deported after the Foreign Regional Registration Office in Delhi determined they lacked documentation verifying their legal entry or residence in India. Khatun's seven-year-old daughter was not detained and remained in India with relatives.

Standard protocol requires authorities to verify a suspected illegal migrant's claims with their stated home state. Samirul Islam, chairman of the West Bengal Migrant Workers Welfare Board, informed the BBC that this verification was not performed in Khatun's case. The BBC has contacted Delhi's home department, which oversees deportations, for comment.

In December, India's Supreme Court directed the federal government to facilitate Khatun and her son's return to India on humanitarian grounds, pending an investigation into her citizenship status. She is currently residing with her parents in West Bengal. Her husband, Danish Sheikh, who was released on bail, remains in Bangladesh with a relative.

Khatun has expressed a complex perspective regarding her return to India, noting relief that her child, due in January, would be an Indian citizen by birth. She also conveyed concern for her husband, whom she has not seen for over three months since their separate detentions in Bangladesh. Her husband has reportedly expressed a desire to return home via video calls. Khatun has asserted their Indian nationality and questioned the basis of their deportation.