DPI Condemns Illegal Deportation of West Bengal People to Bangladesh

Advocate Sharfuddin Ahmad, National Vice President of the Social Democratic Party of India, strongly condemns the unlawful deportation of six innocent residents of Birbhum district in West Bengal to Bangladesh. This shocking act, carried out under the BJP led central government, is part of a deliberate campaign to vilify poor Bengali migrant workers by branding them as illegal infiltrators. It reflects institutional prejudice and strikes at the very core of India’s constitutional democracy.

The victims include two families. Among them are Sunali Khatun, an eight month pregnant woman, her husband Danish Sheikh and their minor son Sabir Sheikh. The others are Sweety Bibi, her husband Kurban Sheikh and their son Imam Dewan. They were detained in Delhi on 24 June 2025 simply because they spoke Bengali. Despite producing valid proof of Indian citizenship such as Aadhaar, PAN, voter IDs and ancestral land records over five decades old, they were forcibly deported on 26 June by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office. This was done without proper inquiry and without consultation with the West Bengal authorities. The episode exposes the government’s dangerous practice of linguistic profiling and communal targeting.

On 26 September 2025, the Calcutta High Court quashed the deportation and described it as illegal and a violation of due process. The division bench of Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Ritabrata Kumar Mitra condemned the hot haste of the executive and underlined that suspicion can never take the place of proof. The judgment also noted that even the Ministry of Home Affairs’ own guidelines of 2 May 2025, which require thorough verification and coordination with the concerned state before any deportation, were ignored.

This action violates Articles 14, 20(3) and 21 of the Constitution which guarantee equality, protection against coercion and the right to life. It places the lives of the deported at serious risk, particularly the pregnant woman and her unborn child. It also forms part of a disturbing pattern, with human rights groups recording more than one hundred similar wrongful deportations of Bengali Muslims from Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra in 2025. Such acts deepen communal divides, exploit the poor and push vulnerable labourers into destitution while serving a divisive political agenda that undermines India’s secular fabric.

The SDPI demands the immediate return of these citizens within the four week deadline set by the court, compensation for the suffering they have endured and a high level inquiry against the officials responsible. The BJP government must apologise to the nation for spreading hatred against minorities and the poor. The SDPI stands in solidarity with the people of Bengal and calls upon all democratic forces to unite against this authoritarian abuse of power.