When will we go back home, ask Sunali’s husband, Sweety
Times of India | 8 December 2025
Kolkata: One half of his prayers answered but himself still trapped in Bangladesh, Sunali Khatun's husband Danish Sheikh is more worried than ever. "I want to be beside Sunali during childbirth," he said on Sunday.
Speaking to TOI from their temporary accommodation at Chapai Nawabganj, Danish, Sweety Bibi and her two young sons expressed their anguish at being "taken to the border to go home", and then "turned back, only to be told that there was no order in this regard".
Sunali returned to Birbhum's Paikar village with her eight-year-old son Shabir on Saturday evening after months of detention in Bangladesh. Her return was ordered on humanitarian grounds because of her advanced pregnancy.
Sheltered by their Bangladeshi benefactor and his wife, a distressed Danish said he was worried about Sunali's fragile health. "She was already unwell when she left Bangladesh. I only hope doctors are taking good care of her. I heard she was admitted to Rampurhat hospital," he added.
Danish said he was frustrated after being stopped at the Malda border. "The BSF allowed Sunali to enter India because they said there were specific court orders in this regard. They told me I had none, so I cannot return to India. Bangladeshi officials took all of us to the border but we were stopped," he said.
Sweety echoed Danish. She expressed her confusion and distress over being taken to the border, only to be turned back. "We were hopeful of reaching home but that hope was crushed. BSF didn't come to receive us," she said.
Appealing to Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool MP Samirul Islam — who played a key role in facilitating Sunali's return — Sweety urged authorities to help them return home. "Please arrange to take us back. I don't even know what my fault is. Why was I sent to Bangladesh, and why is my return still so uncertain?" she asked.
Sweety added that despite the predicament, their Bangladeshi hosts, Farooq Hossain and his wife Mumtaz, have treated them with kindness. "They are giving us full support. They even provided sweaters and quilts for my sons," she said.
Her third son, Imran, is currently with her mother in India, whom she has not seen for over six months. Expressing relief that Sunali managed to return home before her delivery, Sweety said: "She was very tense here and that is not good for pregnancy. I hope she has a healthy baby."
Looking ahead, Sweety said she would prefer to settle permanently in Birbhum if released. "If I am able to return, I will stay in my village and never step out again. I am willing to take up any job locally. But Delhi is a strict no-no."
Authorities in both countries are yet to announce the next step even as both families wait anxiously for the reunions. Danish and Sweety, along with her sons, are likely to be produced before a Bangladesh court on Dec 23. The apex court will take up their plea on Dec 12.
Sunali undergoes battery of tests
Sunali Khatun, being treated at Rampurhat Medical College & Hospital, has undergone a series of diagnostic tests. Doctors said Sunali is severely anaemic and would undergo a blood transfusion. Already USG and amniotic fluid tests have been done and the health of her unborn baby is being closely monitored. Sunali's daughter Anisha, who was separated from her mother for an extended period, is unwilling to leave her side. Anisha and her grandmother Jyotsna are camping on the hospital premises.