Four Indian nationals, including a woman and two minor children, returned to India through the Mahadipur land port in West Bengal's Malda district on Wednesday, nearly a year after they were deported to Bangladesh after being wrongly identified as Bangladeshi nationals.
The returnees were identified as Danesh Sheikh, husband of Sunali Khatun, their neighbour Sweety Bibi, and Sweety's two children. All of them are residents of Paikor village in Birbhum district.
Their return comes months after Sunali Khatun, who was pregnant at the time of her deportation, and her minor son were repatriated to India on 5 December last year. Danesh, Sweety and her children remained lodged in a Bangladeshi prison for another seven months before finally being allowed to return.
The group had travelled to Delhi in search of work when their ordeal began. Danesh, Sunali, their son, and Sweety with her two children were detained by the Delhi Police from the Rohini area on 22 June last year after they were allegedly suspected of being Bangladeshi nationals because they were reportedly conversing in Bengali.
They were subsequently taken to the India-Bangladesh border through Assam and deported into Bangladesh.
Their families later moved the Supreme Court, seeking their return to India. While Sunali and her son were brought back in December owing to her advanced pregnancy, the remaining four continued to remain in custody in Bangladesh. Sunali later gave birth to a baby boy in January this year.
In May, the Supreme Court directed the authorities to facilitate the return of the remaining four Indian nationals. Acting on the court's order, the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Malda district police coordinated their repatriation through the Mahadipur land port.
Police officials said the four returnees were taken to Malda Medical College and Hospital for routine medical examinations after crossing the border. Following the completion of necessary formalities, they will be sent back to their homes in Birbhum district.
Speaking after returning to India, Sweety Bibi described her months in a Bangladeshi prison as deeply traumatic. "It was a horrible experience in the Bangladesh prison. Other inmates abused us because we were Indians. It feels wonderful to be back in my own country. From now on, I will try to earn my livelihood locally and won't migrate to another state for work," she said.
Her brother, Amir Khan, who received the family at the border, said his sister had suffered despite committing no offence. "My innocent sister was detained by the Delhi Police merely because she spoke in Bengali, and was deported to Bangladesh. In jail, she endured abuse and hardship. We are deeply grateful to the Indian judiciary. It was because of the Supreme Court's intervention that my sister and her children could return home," he said.
Danesh Sheikh also recalled the hardships he endured during his detention in Bangladesh and credited the judiciary for securing their return. "The experience in Bangladesh was a nightmare. We were humiliated in every possible way. But when my wife, Sunali, returned to India seven months ago, it strengthened my faith in the Indian judicial system. I am immensely grateful to the Supreme Court for ensuring our return," he said.
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam, who played a key role in pursuing the matter, welcomed the development and thanked the judiciary for its intervention. "We thank the judiciary. They could finally return to their homeland. We hope such incidents will not happen in the future," Islam wrote in a post on social media.
