Waiting for her to walk through the door: father of woman pushed into Bangladesh

Bhodu Sheikh is hopeful but not sure about seeing his daughter Sunali Khatun, her husband Danish Sheikh and their eight-year-old son, who were pushed into Bangladesh earlier this year, a day after the Supreme Court asked the Centre to consider allowing them entry into India on “humanitarian grounds”.

“She is nine months pregnant and due to deliver her third child. So, until I see her walk through the door of my house, I will not be relieved,” Mr. Bhodu Sheikh told The Hindu over the phone from his home in Birbhum, West Bengal.

He added, “The government should take corrective action and bring her back. What will be the nationality of my grandchild if they are born in another country?”

Mr. Bhodu Sheikh has been fighting for the return of the three ever since they, along with another family — Sweety Bibi , her husband and their two children — were pushed across the border on June 27, 2025 after being picked up by the Delhi police on June 18, 2025 on charges of being illegal Bangladeshi citizens.

On September 26, 20025, the Calcutta High Court set aside the action and termed it “illegal”, based on the petitions of Mr. Bhodu Sheikh and Ms. Sweety’s husband, Amir Khan, who affirmed their Indian citizenship. It directed that the seven persons be returned within a month.

On Monday (December 1, 2025), the top court, hearing the Centre’s appeal against the High Court order, asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to consider letting Ms. Sunali Khatun and her son return. Mr. Bhodu Sheikh urged that his son-in-law also be allowed to come back. The court will hear the matter on Wednesday (December 3, 2025).

Trinamool Congress MP Samirul Islam, who has been pursuing cases of “illegal deportation” of Bengali residents, said Ms. Sunali Khatun and her family, who had been apprehended after their entry into Bangladesh, were granted bail on Monday (December 1, 2025). “They have been placed in safe custody, where they are awaiting repatriation,” he said.

‘She is due to deliver’

Roshni Khatun, Ms. Sunali Khatun’s sister, decried the injustice of keeping a pregnant woman away from her home. “There’s no one to take care of her. How will Sunali manage if she’s brought not back before the delivery,” asked Ms. Roshni Khatun, who is caring for her sister’s six-year-old daughter in Delhi.