Pregnant Sunali Khatun Returns to India After Supreme Court Intervention
A Case Highlighting Deportation Procedures, Migrant Rights, and Constitutional Protections Background: Deportation of a Pregnant Woman Sparks National Debate In June 2024, Sunali Khatun, a pregnant resident of Birbhum, West Bengal, and her eight-year-old son were detained in Delhi on suspicion of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. On June 24, both were deported to Bangladesh along with her husband and members of another migrant worker family. Their deportation was carried out on the direction of the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO) Delhi. On June 26, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested the deported families under the Control of Entry Act for entering Bangladesh without valid documents. This incident triggered political tensions between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), especially with the 2026 West Bengal elections approaching. Supreme Court’s Humanitarian Intervention Two days before Sunali’s return, the Supreme Court of ...