Congress MP Asks External Affairs Minister To Bring Back Two Assam Women Sent To Bangladesh

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has urged Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to trace and bring back two Assam women who were sent across the India-Bangladesh border. The women, Jahanara Begum and Mumtaz Begum from Nagaon district, were pushed into Bangladesh on the night of June 13 and 14, 2026, and their current whereabouts are unknown.

Legal Battle

A Foreigners' Tribunal in Nagaon had declared both women foreigners in 2019. The Gauhati High Court set aside that decision in April 2026 and asked the tribunal to review the cases because it had not properly considered material evidence. Both women appeared before the tribunal in late May 2026 but were taken into custody shortly after. The High Court later found that the tribunal deliberately delayed issuing its opinion to prevent the women from challenging it, and noted malice in law.

Border Expulsion

The Nagaon District Commissioner issued expulsion orders on June 2, 2026, telling the women to leave India within 24 hours while they were already locked up in State custody. The High Court called the order for Mumtaz Begum farcical. Both women were handed over to the Border Security Force and sent across the border through Gate No. 2 near Border Pillar No. 1339/MP.

Context

Foreigners' Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies in Assam tasked with deciding if a person is a legal citizen or an illegal immigrant. The Ministry of External Affairs has been made a party to this case by the High Court, and Mr. Gogoi has asked the Indian High Commission in Dhaka to coordinate with Bangladeshi authorities for the women's return.