Sunali Bibi, a nine-month pregnant woman from Birbhum who was controversially pushed across the border into Bangladesh, returned to India on Friday evening following a Supreme Court order. Her eight-year-old son returned with her.
Sunali arrived at the Mahadipur International Trade Centre in Malda around 7 pm, escorted by Bangladeshi authorities from the Boro Sona Masjid area of Shibganj Police Station in Chapai Nawabganj. Malda Zilla Parishad Chairperson Lipika Barman Ghosh and Assistant Chairperson ATM Rafiqul Hossain, along with BSF, police and administrative officials, welcomed her at the border.
After completing immigration formalities, Sunali was taken to a BSF camp and later shifted to Malda Medical College for a full medical examination, given her advanced stage of pregnancy.
Sunali’s ordeal began in Delhi, where she was reportedly labelled a “Bangladeshi suspect” during routine questioning because she spoke Bengali. Without completing due verification, the BSF allegedly pushed her and her son back into Bangladesh through the Assam border.
The incident triggered widespread political uproar in West Bengal and beyond. The case reached the Calcutta High Court and was later taken up by the Supreme Court.
During the hearing, Justice Joymalya Bagchi questioned the basis on which Sunali was declared Bangladeshi when her father is an Indian citizen. The court also criticised the lack of a proper verification process and emphasised the urgent need to protect the health and safety of a pregnant woman and her minor child.
The apex court directed that Sunali and her son be immediately brought back to India and reunited with her family in Birbhum. The court assigned responsibility for her medical care to the Chief Medical Officer of Birbhum, with all expenses to be borne by the state government.
Political observers have hailed Sunali’s return as a “humanitarian victory.” However, immigration experts say the episode exposes serious gaps in India’s identity verification and border management systems.
Sunali is expected to be transported to Birbhum after her medical evaluation in Malda is completed, following the court’s directive that she be handed over directly to her father.
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