‘Finally home’: Delhi to Dhaka to jail and back, Sweety Bibi, her two kids return, a year after they were pushed into Bangladesh

On May 22, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi that the Centre would bring the family back and examine their status. The court was hearing the Centre’s petition challenging Calcutta High Court’s directions to bring them back.

On June 18, last year, two families from Birbhum, Sweety Bibi and her two sons aged six and 16 from Dhitora village, and Sunali Khatun, her husband Danish Sheikh and their eight-year-old son from Paikar village, were picked up by Delhi Police on suspicion of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

Last June, they were ‘pushed back’ into Bangladesh by the BSF. After spending weeks near the border and on the streets of Dhaka, they were arrested on August 21 in Chapainawabganj under Bangladesh’s Passport and Foreigners Acts and jailed. “We were detained in Delhi and then pushed out through the Assam border. We spent time in the bushes at the border and abortively tried to return. We spent days on the streets of Dhaka and then went to a relative’s house in Chapainawabganj from where we were arrested and jailed. After getting bail, we were given shelter by Faruk Hussain and his wife,” Sweety said.

A pregnant Sunali Khatun and her son returned to India on December 5 following a Supreme Court order. Sweety, her children and Danish remained in Bangladesh.

“I am physically and mentally sick. I have a baby girl at home whom I have not met for a year. I am yearning to meet her” Sweety added.
Danish, who also returned on Tuesday, said, “My wife and children returned after the Supreme Court’s order. But I was left in Bangladesh. Now I will meet my family and see the face of my daughter who was born after my wife returned.”

Faruk Hussain, who sheltered Sweety and her family in Chapainawabganj said over the phone, “The Bangladesh court gave us their responsibility. They were broken. Today is a happy day for all of us.”

Speaking from Birbhum, Sweety’s brother Amir Khan said, “Finally, she will be home. We are grateful to everyone who helped. Her 10-year-old son is waiting for her. Our family will be reunited.”

TMC Rajya Sabha MP and former chairman of migrant’s welfare board Samirul Islam wrote on X, “The long-awaited dream of poor illegal deportees of Birbhum has finally come true. After a legal battle that lasted for more than a year, today marked the return of Sweety Bibi, her two minor sons, and Sunali Khatun’s husband to their mother land after they were allegedly illegally deported to Bangladesh. As you all know, Sunali Khatun had already returned in December last year. I salute the Indian judiciary.”

“We tried to help both Sunali and Sweety, among others. While Sonali was returned, Sweety had to stay back in Bangladesh. We did what we could to help them. Now we are happy. The Supreme Court has given us justice,” said Mofizul Islam, a Birbhum-based social worker who is helping the families in Bangladesh.

Birbhum-based social worker Mofizul Islam, who assisted the families in Bangladesh, said, “We tried to help both Sunali and Sweety, among others. While Sunali returned, Sweety had to stay back. The Supreme Court has given them justice.”

On September 26 last year, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court comprising Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Ritabrata Kumar Mitra directed that the six members of the two families be brought back to India within four weeks. On October 3, the senior judicial magistrate of the District Court in Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh, held that they were Indian citizens based on their Aadhaar cards and residential addresses in West Bengal, ordering their “pushback” to India.

After securing bail from Chapainawabganj district court on December 1, they had been living in Chapainawabganj under the care of Faruk Hussain until their return this week.