Abhishek congratulates Sunali Khatun after birth of her son

Sunali Khatun, who was earlier deported to Bangladesh after being wrongly identified as a foreign national, has given birth to a healthy baby boy at Rampurhat Medical College and Hospital in Birbhum district.

Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee congratulated Sunali through a post on his official X handle on Monday and said he would visit the hospital on Tuesday to meet them.

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In his post, Abhishek wrote: “This moment of joy seems even more profound in the light of the injustice she was subjected to. Tomorrow (January 6), I am going to Birbhum. I will personally go to the hospital to congratulate Sunali and her newborn.”

Sunali Khatun, a resident of Rampurhat, had been working as a migrant labourer in Delhi. Despite being an Indian citizen, she was allegedly arrested by the Delhi Police on suspicion of being a Bangladeshi national, reportedly because she spoke Bengali. While pregnant, she was subsequently “pushed back” to Bangladesh by the Delhi Police and later by the Border Security Force (BSF).

Her family, with strong support from the Trinamul Congress, fought for her return. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and MP Abhishek Banerjee repeatedly raised the issue, terming the deportation unjust and inhumane.

Even after directions from the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court, there were allegations that the Centre delayed her return, prompting Abhishek Banerjee to speak out publicly on several occasions.

After nearly six months of struggle, Sunali returned to India on 5 December along with her minor son Sabir. At that time, she was in an advanced stage of pregnancy. Upon her return, she and her family expressed gratitude to Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee for their support.

Abhishek had earlier said he would meet Sunali only after she returned to India. In another post on Monday, he stated: “Sunali gave birth to a healthy son at Rampurhat Medical College in Birbhum. This moment of joy is even deeper in view of the injustice she was subjected to. By abusing power and falsely branding her as a Bangladeshi, the Delhi Police and the Central Government forcibly sent her to Bangladesh. This suffering was not only a violation of the dignity of a citizen, but an ordeal no pregnant mother should ever be forced to endure. Yet, Sunali has shown immense courage and determination. This is a victory for humanity.”

Sunali’s neighbour, Rohan Ali, said she was taken to Paikor Hospital on Sunday evening for a routine check-up and was later referred to Rampurhat Medical College Hospital, where she was admitted around 9 p.m. Doctors subsequently decided to conduct a caesarean section. “Sunali gave birth to a son at around 11 a.m. on Monday. Both mother and child are healthy,” he said.

The family has not yet decided on the baby’s name. Rohan Ali added, “Abhishek Banerjee is coming on Tuesday and will visit Sunali. It would be wonderful if he named the child.”

Trinamul Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Birbhum, Samirul Islam, who has remained in touch with Sunali and her family throughout the ordeal, said: “Last month, Sunali Bibi had told me that she wished the Chief Minister to name the child, whether a boy or a girl. I visited her again today, but there was no discussion on the matter. For now, we are relieved that both mother and child are healthy. We are also trying to bring back others who are still in Bangladesh.”