The widow of an Indian IT professional killed in last month’s terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir has been granted Indian citizenship, the Union government confirmed on Saturday.
The move comes amid a swirl of allegations and political undertones surrounding her nationality and legal status.
Advertisement
Sohini Roy, the wife of Bitan Adhikari, was one of the survivors of the 22 April terrorist ambush in Pahalgam, where 26 people were killed. Bitan, originally from the Patuli neighbourhood in Kolkata, was among those fatally shot. The couple, along with their child, had been residing in the United States, where Bitan worked in the technology sector. Union minister of state for education and BJP’s West Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar announced the citizenship grant at a Press briefing in Kolkata.
“Sohini Roy had applied for Indian citizenship long ago, based on her marriage to an Indian national. The Government of India has now granted her that status. We thank the Prime Minister and the home minister for recognising her appeal,” he said.
However, the decision has not been without controversy. Bitan’s elder brother, Bibhu Adhikari, has alleged that Roy is a Bangladeshi national who had entered India under dubious circumstances. He claimed that she possessed two birth certificates and that previous documents, including her Aadhaar and voter ID cards, were found to be forged. He further alleged that both Roy and her mother, Bharati Roy, had been charged in a fraud case two years ago, a case that is reportedly still pending.
Bibhu also questioned Roy’s eligibility for state compensation as the widow of a terror attack victim, stating that as a foreign national at the time of the incident, she would not have had a legal claim. “She was living in India since 2023 January, after her Indian passport expired in February that year,” he said. Roy has not responded publicly to the allegations, but her family has urged privacy, citing her emotional distress. “She is in no condition to comment,” a relative told reporters. On her return to Kolkata from Kashmir, Roy was received by senior West Bengal ministers Firhad Hakim and Aroop Biswas, as well as the Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari.
In a brief exchange at the airport, she reportedly told Suvendu that her husband was targeted by militants “because he was a Hindu”. The citizenship grant is likely to stir further debate, with the ruling BJP positioning it as a humanitarian decision and sections of the opposition raising concerns over legal propriety. The home ministry has not yet released an official statement detailing the basis of the approval.