Trinamool MP Samirul Islam calls on the family of Sweety Bibi, who was pushed into Bangladesh a year ago.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam called on the family of Sweety Bibi, who recently returned to their native place in Birbhum after a year-long legal battle to return from Bangladesh.
The four Bengali migrants from Birbhum were detained by Delhi Police last year and pushed into Bangladesh. They were brought back to India on July 8, 2026, after the legal battle. Mr. Islam took up the cause of the migrant workers and provided help to the family.
“Despite being genuine Indian citizens, these poor people were deported to Bangladesh on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals. We urge both the Central and the State governments to take care of these families and ensure that no genuine Indian citizen has to face such hardships because of administrative lapses,” the Trinamool MP said after meeting Sweety Bibi and her sons on Wednesday (July 15, 2026).
Observing that he has no objection to deporting foreigners, Samirul Islam said that, at the same time, these innocent people did not deserve to suffer such harassment. “We should remember that India or Bharat is our country; it is the motherland for all beyond their identity, caste, creed or religion. It is our duty to protect them just like a mother protects their children,” he said.
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 and gave birth a baby boy in India in January 2026.
The plight of the six migrants came to light when they released a video urging then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to repatriate them from Bangladesh. Mr. Islam had highlighted the plight of the two families and approached the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court seeking their return from Bangladesh.
Between May and August 2025, hundreds of migrant workers from West Bengal were detained in Delhi and other BJP-ruled States in the north and west of the country, and their identities were checked. Some were pushed into Bangladesh from the border, and they managed to return to India with the help of local authorities.
The Bharatiya Janata Party government, after coming to power in West Bengal, has made deporting illegal Bangladeshi nationals a priority. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has said that about 10,000 Bangladeshi nationals have returned from the State and about 1800 are being held in detention centres in the State.
Published – July 16, 2026 12:44 pm IST
