Four from Bengal pushed into Bangladesh return home after one-year legal battle

Four Bengali migrants from Birbhum who were detained by Delhi Police last year and pushed into Bangladesh were brought back to India on Wednesday (July 8, 2026) after a year-long legal battle. 

Trinamool Congress leader Samirul Islam applauded the Indian judiciary for its intervention and help in bringing back the persons. 

Mr. Islam, Trinamool MP and former chairperson of the West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board, posted about their return on social media on Wednesday (July 8, 2026). He said that while there is no problem with the deportation of illegal migrants, genuine Indians should not be subjected to injustice and harassment. 

The group of returnees included Sweety Bibi, her two minor sons, and the husband of Sunali Khatun who had returned to India with her minor son in December 2025 after the Supreme Court intervened. Ms. Khatun was heavily pregnant at that time.

“They came back on Wednesday. They stayed there (Bangladesh) for over a year. They were pushed back in June 2025 and came back in July 2026. Even Bangladesh had written letters that Indians who were pushed back illegally must be taken back, but it took such a long time,” Mr. Islam told The Hindu on Thursday. He also added that the four persons came back through the India-Bangladesh border in Malda district and have had to fight a long legal battle to return to their homeland. 

On December 5, 2025, Ms. Khatun and her minor son were brought back from Bangladesh. Her father had argued that if his daughter gave birth in Bangladesh, the child would have no claim to an Indian citizenship. After her return, Ms. Khatun gave birth to a child in a State-run hospital in Bengal. 

The plight of the six migrants came to light when they released a video urging then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for their repatriation from Bangladesh. Mr. Islam had highlighted the plight of the two families, especially of Ms. Khatun.