Pregnant woman deported to Bangladesh returns, thanks Mamata and seeks her to name child

Kolkata: Pregnant Bengali woman Sunali Khatun, who was deported to Bangladesh six months ago on suspicion of being an infiltrator, has said she is satisfied with the arrangements made for her by the West Bengal government after her return to India. Khatun, who re-entered the country through a land border in Malda on Friday night, is currently undergoing treatment at Rampurhat Medical College and Hospital.

Speaking to reporters, she thanked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for facilitating her repatriation and said the CM had given her “a new lease of life”. Khatun added that she would request Mamata Banerjee to name her child after birth and noted that doctors at the hospital were treating her well.

Khatun was first pushed back to Bangladesh in June this year, despite being pregnant at the time, after being picked up on suspicion of being a Bangladeshi national. She was brought back to India along with her eight-year-old son following an order of the Supreme Court directing her repatriation.

On her return, she was initially admitted to Malda Medical College and Hospital for health checks and discharged on Saturday morning before going home. Later the same day, she was shifted to Rampurhat Medical College and Hospital for further evaluation, where doctors have found she has low blood count.

Medical Superintendent-cum-Vice Principal of Rampurhat Medical College and Hospital, Palash Das, said all necessary arrangements had been made for Khatun and that her condition was being monitored round the clock to ensure she faced no inconvenience.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam described her return as a “victory of the people” and of the efforts made by Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee. He said the party would continue to stand by Khatun’s family and extend all possible assistance.

However, four others, including Khatun’s husband and the family of another woman, Sweety Bibi, remain in Bangladesh. Though courts have ordered that all those pushed back, including Khatun, be repatriated, there is still no clarity on when the remaining detainees will be brought back, and their families have demanded early action.

In June, six people, including Khatun, were arrested in Delhi on suspicion of being Bangladeshi infiltrators despite holding Indian citizenship documents and were subsequently pushed back across the border. After entering Bangladesh, they were arrested and lodged in jail there, prompting petitions in the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court seeking their return to India.

(Inputs from IANS)