Delhi Police deported Sunali Khatu, a migrant worker, to Bangladesh on the charge of being Bangladeshi.
Political intervention helped her turn around, but now her family fights against SIR irregularities.
In West Bengal, the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of voter rolls has sparked massive controversy.
Over 90 million names have been removed from electoral rolls and questions are being raised about citizenship, identity and voter rights.
In this field report, DH’s Anirban Bhaumik explores how Bengali migrant workers are being interrogated, detained and in some cases even labeled as “Bangladeshi”, despite having valid Indian documents such as Aadhaar, voter ID and land records. The case of Sunali, where she was allegedly deported and later returned, highlights the human cost behind this debate.
Is this a crackdown on illegal migration, or is there an anti-Bengali bias showing up in the system? Why do Bengali speaking workers across states face scrutiny? And how has the revision of the SIR voter list in West Bengal turned into a major political point ahead of the elections?
As parties clash over accusations and counter-claims, families like Sunali’s are left fighting to prove a basic right, their identity as Indian citizens.
