Abhishek Banerjee; Sunali Khatun
NEW DELHI: Sunali Khatun, the pregnant woman who was repatriated from Bangladesh on the Supreme Court’s directions after being deported on suspicion of being a Bangladeshi national, has delivered a baby boy in West Bengal’s Birbhum district.In a series of posts on X, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said he was “deeply moved,” noting that the occasion was made even more poignant by the “injustices” she had suffered.Also Read | The why and how of Sunali’s sorry state“I am deeply moved and genuinely heartened to learn that Sunali Khatun has given birth to a healthy baby boy at Rampurhat Medical College in Birbhum. This moment of joy feels even more profound against the backdrop of the injustice she was subjected to. In a shocking abuse of power, she was falsely branded as a Bangladeshi and forcibly deported to Bangladesh by the Delhi Police and the Union government,” Banerjee, the nephew of West Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, wrote. The Lok Sabha MP added that Khatun’s ordeal amounted to a “violation of dignity” that no citizen—let alone a pregnant woman—should be made to endure, and praised her for her “extraordinary courage” and resolve. Also Read | Kept saying we’re Indian, they didn’t listen: Sunali KhatunBanerjee also announced that he would meet Khatun on Tuesday.“This is a triumph of humanity. Tomorrow, during my visit to Birbhum, I will personally meet Sunali at the hospital to convey my best wishes to her and her newborn. My prayers remain with her family,” he posted.On December 5 last year, Sunali Khatun and her eight-year-old son—who had earlier been deported from India—were repatriated on “humanitarian grounds” following a directive from the Supreme Court.The top court had also asked the Centre to ensure free medical treatment for Khatun in view of her advanced pregnancy and to take care of her son.After returning to India, she expressed relief and gratitude, and appealed for her husband to be brought back as well. Khatun has maintained that she is the daughter of Bhodu Sheikh, an Indian citizen.(With agency inputs)