Pregnant woman from West Bengal pushed across border freed on bail from Bangladesh jail

Pregnant woman from West Bengal pushed across border freed on bail from Bangladesh jail

Their release came hours after India’s Supreme Court asked the federal government to consider allowing Khatun and her son to re-enter India “on humanitarian grounds,” noting her advanced pregnancy.


A pregnant woman from West Bengal who was allegedly forced across the border into Bangladesh and later jailed for illegal entry was released on bail on Monday along with five others, The Times of India reported.

Sunali Khatun, her husband Danish Sk, their eight-year-old son and another woman, Sweety Bibi, with her two children walked out of Chapainawabganj jail at about 7:30 p.m. after more than three months in custody. A local court granted them bail on humanitarian grounds, with a Bangladeshi national providing a surety of 5,000 taka.

Khatun had been detained and sent to Bangladesh in June after Indian authorities accused her of being an undocumented immigrant. She denies the charge and says she is from West Bengal’s Birbhum district.

Their release came hours after India’s Supreme Court asked the federal government to consider allowing Khatun and her son to re-enter India “on humanitarian grounds,” noting her advanced pregnancy. The court asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to seek instructions on whether she could return via the Malda border. It did not comment on the return of her husband. The case will be heard again on Wednesday.

Despite the bail order, the Chapainawabganj court directed that the group remain in Bangladesh and appear when required. It also instructed that Khatun receive appropriate medical care.

Khatun told The Times of India she wanted to return home and said her health had deteriorated. She thanked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee for their support. She said local police had asked them to report again on Monday night, adding, “I do not know what is happening… I just hope that I return home quickly.”

A social worker assisting the families said he had arranged temporary accommodation and noted the bail order did not mention repatriation.

The case comes amid a wider crackdown in several Indian states where thousands of Bengali-speaking migrant workers have been ordered to prove their citizenship and, in some instances, have been pushed into Bangladesh.


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