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“What will be the nationality of my grandchild, if he is born in Bangladesh,” asked Bhodu Sheikh, the father of Sonali Bibi, who has allegedly been pushed into Bangladesh. Mr. Sheikh, a resident of Paikar in West Bengal’s Birbhum district said that his daughter, son-in-law and a grandchild have been forced into Bangladesh from Delhi where they were working.
Sonali Bibi is eight months pregnant and is expecting a baby. While the fate of three members of his family hangs in Bangladesh, Mr. Sheikh is scared that if his grandchild is born in Bangladesh he will have no claim over Indian citizenship.
Sonali Bibi and her husband Danish Sheikh and their eight year old child are part of a group of six persons who were detained from Delhi, a few weeks ago and allegedly pushed into Bangladesh. The other members of the group of six persons who were allegedly pushed back include Sweety Bibi and two minors.
In July, Sweety Bibi also released a video from an undisclosed location stating that they were arrested from Delhi where they had gone to work and have now been pushed into Bangladesh. The video where Sweety Bibi is calling out for help was shared on different social media handles including that of Trinamool Congress supporters.
Samirul Islam, the chairperson of West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board said that the only option before the migrant workers forced into Bangladesh is to knock on the doors of the Court. Mr. Islam added that the situation is alarming for Sonali Bibi who is dealing with pregnancy in detention.
According to reports, the migrant workers had first approached a court in Delhi and later before the Calcutta High Court. The case in Delhi court stands withdrawn and the Calcutta High Court has directed the Delhi government to submit all the documents. The matter will come up for hearing before the Calcutta High Court on August 20.
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 Calcutta High Court. On August 13, Amir Sheikh, the migrant worker from Malda’s Kaliachak who was arrested from Rajasthan and allegedly pushed back into Bangladesh was repatriated with his family. The BSF in a submission before the court said that Sheikh was arrested while entering India from Bangladesh without proper documents.
On August 18, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a new scheme Shramashree that provides a monthly stipend of ₹5,000 up to one year for a migrant worker returning to the State. The State government has also proposed a portal for registration of migrants from the State.
Published – August 20, 2025 07:00 am IST
