Sunali fights 'Bangladeshi' tag, but parents are on electoral roll

KOLKATA: The parents of Sunali Khatun, 26, the Bengal woman pushed into Bangladesh as an "illegal immigrant" last year, have their names on the voters list, strengthening her citizenship claims even as a legal battle continues for her husband and other kin packed off to the neighbouring country.

Sunali's mother, Jyotsna Bibi, was among the lakhs "under adjudication" but later made it to the list; and her father, Bhodu Sheikh, had been cleared in the Dec 2025 SIR draft list.


Sunali broke into tears when she found her parents' names on the list. Their names figured in the 2002 voter list - the reference date for SIR. Sunali is herself not a voter yet but has applied for inclusion.

"I'm angry that we were tagged Bangladeshis. We are Indian citizens. Yet, we had to suffer. I could not give my kids new clothes on Eid. My husband is in Bangladesh; my kids cry for him every day. My father is unwell and can't work," she said.