Sharada Kukreja, a 53-year-old woman originally from Pakistan, who has been living in Odisha’s Bolangir district for the past 35 years after marrying an Indian citizen, has made an emotional appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, pleading not to be separated from her family. Her plea comes after receiving a police notice directing her to leave the country.
Sharada, a native of Sukkur city in Pakistan’s Sindh province, fled to India decades ago to escape the threat of forced conversion and marriage to a Muslim youth. Since marrying Mahesh Kumar Kukreja in 1990, she has made her home in Bolangir, where she raised a family — a son and a daughter, both now married.
Speaking to mediapersons, Bolangir Superintendent of Police Abilash G confirmed that a notice has been issued to Sharada Kukreja asking her to leave India "at the earliest." He clarified that the notice is directed only at Sharada, and not her husband or their children.
Regarding Sharada's claims of holding an Aadhaar card and participating in elections, the SP said, "The notice was issued based on existing records. We will need to verify the claims she is now presenting."
Recounting her journey, Sharada shared that she, along with her four sisters and five brothers, fled Pakistan in fear of forced religious conversion. They arrived in India on a 60-day visa in 1987, initially settling in Odisha’s Koraput district before she moved to Bolangir after her marriage.
"We first arrived in Odisha’s Koraput district and later moved to Bolangir after my marriage. I have been living here for 35 years. I was just 18 when I got married in 1990," Sharada recalled.
While her siblings have since acquired Indian citizenship and settled across the country, Sharada remains technically a Pakistani citizen, still holding a Pakistani passport. Despite possessing an Aadhaar card and having voted in several elections, she has not been granted Indian citizenship.
She expressed hope that she would be naturalised under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), but that process, she said, remains pending.
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Facing the grim possibility of being uprooted from her home and family at this stage of life, Sharada voiced her deep distress and urged the authorities to intervene.
"If at all, the Indian government sends me back to Pakistan, where should I go, whom should I meet there? I have no one in that country. I have never visited Pakistan after 1987. Even I have not called anyone over the phone in Pakistan. Whom should I call? I have no connection with that country which failed to give me and my family protection," she said.
Speaking with a choked voice, Sharada said she cannot imagine living even a moment without her family. Her son, daughter, and grandchildren are equally devastated and strongly oppose her deportation.
Sharada's case has surfaced amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 people, most of them tourists. In response to the attack, the Indian government announced on Thursday that all visas granted to Pakistani nationals would be cancelled effective April 27, and instructed them to leave the country.
Also Read: Overstaying Pakis to face 3 yrs jail or ₹3L fine or both
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