Sweety Bibi's Agonizing Wait in Bangladesh: A Tale of Mistaken Identity
For Sweety Bibi, a 33-year-old migrant laborer from West Bengal, and her two young sons, Qurban, 6, and Imran, 12, the past seven months have been a harrowing ordeal of confinement and despair. Picked up by the Delhi Police and forcibly sent to Bangladesh after being labeled "illegal immigrants," they now languish in a house in Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh, with their hopes of returning home fading as each day passes.
A Fateful Day in Delhi
On June 18, 2025, Sweety Bibi, who worked as a ragpicker in Delhi, was apprehended along with her children and another family from Birbhum district, Sunali Khatun, her husband Danish, and their eight-year-old son. All were declared illegal immigrants and, on June 26, were 'pushed back' into Bangladesh. While Sunali and her son were repatriated to India on December 5 following a Supreme Court order and a flag meeting between border forces, Sweety and her sons, along with Danish, remain stranded.
Life in Limbo
Confined to a house under the care of Faruk Sheikh, as ordered by a Bangladesh court after bail, Sweety expresses her anguish in a phone interview. "I have stopped counting the days," she says. "All I hear is that a new date of hearing is there before the Supreme Court. Now it is on February 18. You cannot imagine the pain. What will happen to my two children?" She adds that her nine-year-old son back in Bengal is suffering without her, and she fears for her children's future, feeling forgotten by all.
After being pushed into Bangladesh, the group spent seven days on the streets of Dhaka before being arrested in Chapainawabganj and jailed for three months under the Passport Act and Foreigners Act. Released on bail on December 1, they now await legal resolution. Sweety laments, "We were labelled Bangladeshi citizens and pushed into this country. Me and my sons have suffered in the same way. But she was taken back, and we remain confined to this house."
Family and Political Support
Sweety's brother, Amir Khan, from Paikar village in Birbhum, shares his frustration. "Now there are elections in Bangladesh and then the month of Ramzan. Whenever we speak, she breaks down," he says. The family has submitted old land deeds and other documents to the court to prove their Indian citizenship, but progress has been slow. "Sunali and her boy have been brought back. On the same logic, my sister and her children should have been brought back. But sadly, she is still in Bangladesh."
Social worker Mofizul Islam, who assisted the families in Bangladesh, remains in touch but offers little solace. "What can I say to them? They always ask when they will return. I am trying to provide all support possible," he states. TMC Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam affirms support, saying, "We are standing with the family. Providing all support. We are hopeful that the highest court of the country will allow them to be back home, just like Sunali. All relevant papers indicating they are residents of Bengal have been placed with the court."
Legal Proceedings and Hope
The case has seen multiple legal twists. On August 21, 2025, the families were arrested in Bangladesh, and on September 26, a division bench of Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Ritabrata Kumar Mitra directed their repatriation within four weeks. On October 3, a Chapainawabganj court declared them Indian citizens based on Aadhaar cards and West Bengal addresses, ordering their pushback to India. However, only Sunali has returned so far.
As the Supreme Court hearing on February 18 approaches, Sweety Bibi and her sons cling to a sliver of hope. Their story highlights the human cost of bureaucratic errors and the prolonged suffering of those caught in cross-border disputes. With elections in Bangladesh and Ramzan adding delays, their wait continues, a stark reminder of the need for swift justice and compassion in such cases.
