Sunali fights ‘Bangladeshi’ tag, but parents are on electoral roll | India News

KOLKATA: The parents of Sunali Khatun, 26, a Bengali woman pushed to Bangladesh as “illegal immigrants” last year, have their names on the electoral roll, strengthening her claim to citizenship even as a legal battle continues to move her husband and other relatives to the neighboring country.Sunali’s mother Jyotsna Bibi was among the millions “under adjudication” but later made it to the list; And his father, Vodu Sheikh, was cleared in the December 2025 SIR draft list.Sunali breaks down in tears when she finds her parents’ names in the list. Their names appear in the electoral roll of 2002 – the reference date of the SIR. Sunali herself is not yet a voter but has applied for inclusion.She said, “I am angry that we have been tagged as Bangladeshis. We are Indian citizens. Still, we have to suffer. I could not give my children new clothes for Eid. My husband is in Bangladesh; my children cry for him every day. My father is sick and cannot work.”