Four weeks after Calcutta High Court directed the repatriation of six migrant workers pushed into Bangladesh, they continue to languish in the foreign country, including pregnant Sunali Bibi and five others. The Trinamool Congress leadership has once again blamed the Union government for the workers’ plight and failure to bring them back.
Shashi Panja, the Minister of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare of West Bengal accused that the Bharatiya Janta Party’s central government has flouted the Calcutta High Court order which was passed on September 26.
“The deportation was wrong. Who fought the battle? The Trinamool Congress… The central government did not take a single step to bring them back… They continued to try and label the six people as Bangladeshis, so they remain in Bangladesh,” Ms Panja further said on Friday (October 24).
Samirul Islam, Rajya Sabha MP, and Chairman of Migrant Workers Welfare Board in West Bengal said that a Bangladesh Court also determined that these six people were not Bangladeshi nationals and asked for arrangements to return them back to India.
“The Union Government led by BJP has forgotten to abide by the law or the constitution. They have failed to even work on a mandatory order passed by the Calcutta High Court and are letting a pregnant lady suffer,” Mr Islam told The Hindu on Friday. He also added that they are not able to establish proper channels of communication with the six migrant workers and are grappling to get updates about their well-being. Mr Islam said that according to last updates received, Sunali Bibi is yet to deliver her child.
This comes in reaction to the September 26 Calcutta High Court order, where they asked the authorities to take every step to bring back the languishing migrants. “…are mandatorily directed to take all steps to bring back Sunali, Danish and Sabir to India within a period of 4 weeks from the date of communication of the order,” the order said.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Reetobrata Mitra gave this direction based on a writ petition filed by Bhodu Sheikh and Amir Khan, relatives of the six migrants who were pushed back into Bangladesh.
Concerns were also raised about the fact that Sunali Bibi was 8-months pregnant in August. Her father Mr Sheikh raised concerns that if his grandchild is born while Sunali is in Bangladesh, then his grandchild is born in Bangladesh he will have no claim over Indian citizenship.
“What will be the nationality of my grandchild, if he is born in Bangladesh,” asked Mr Sheikh.
Sunali Bibi, her husband Danish Sheikh, and their 8-year-old child were part of the group of six people who were detained from Delhi and pushed into Bangladesh months back. The group also included Sweety Bibi and her two minor sons.
Prior to this, there have been several instances of migrant workers who have alleged been pushed into Bangladesh by the security agencies. A few of them have been repatriated after the families approached the Calcutta High Court.
Published – October 25, 2025 01:56 am IST
