Calcutta HC Questions ‘Hot Haste’ in Deportation of Pregnant Woman to Bangladesh

KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday sharply questioned Delhi Police over the “hot haste” with which an eight-month pregnant woman, Sunali Khatun of Birbhum, was deported to Bangladesh after being branded an illegal immigrant—despite the law allowing a 30-day inquiry period.

A division bench of Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Reetobroto Kumar Mitra raised the matter while hearing a habeas corpus plea filed by Khatun’s father. The bench noted the timeline presented by Delhi Police: Khatun, her husband Danish Sheikh, and their toddler son Sabir were intercepted on June 21, detained under an order passed on June 24, and deported just two days later, on June 26. Another Birbhum woman, Sweety Biwi, and her two children were deported along with them.

“The circular clearly states that such inquiries must not be conducted in hot haste. You had 30 days for the inquiry, which should have been done in collaboration with the state authorities in Bengal, since the porous border is here,” Justice Chakraborty observed. “Why was the detention order issued on June 24 and deportation carried out on June 26? Diplomatic protocols with Bangladesh Border Guards must have been followed—where is the record?”

Delhi Police argued that Khatun and her family, including Danish—a ragpicker in Delhi—were detained based on a tip-off that they were Bangladeshi nationals. However, their relatives allege police ignored identity documents proving Indian citizenship. “We do not know who your informer was. Why this rush?” the bench pressed further. Senior advocate Dhiraj Trivedi, representing Delhi Police, declined to give “impromptu answers” and sought time to file a detailed reply.

The case comes amid a wider crackdown on alleged illegal settlers from Bangladesh across multiple states, during which several Bengali-speaking residents of West Bengal have complained of harassment. Notably, Khatun and her family were arrested by Bangladeshi police in Chapai Nawabganj on August 21 for “illegally entering Bangladesh” and sent to prison two days later.

The current hearing follows an August 29 directive from the Supreme Court instructing the Calcutta High Court to expedite the matter. During arguments, Additional Solicitor General Asok Kumar Chakraborti, representing the Centre, questioned the court’s jurisdiction since the deportation was carried out by Delhi Police. “This is not about Bengali-speaking people being deported. It concerns sovereignty, integrity, and national security. For decades, infiltration from Bangladesh has been a serious problem,” he argued.

He further submitted that the burden lay on the petitioners to establish Indian citizenship. The bench directed advocate Raghunath Chakraborty, counsel for Khatun and five others, to state at the next hearing—scheduled for Thursday—whether the deportees had ever been formally served with a deportation order, which would be crucial in determining the legality of their detention.