Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi is pushing the central government to track down two Nagaon women pushed across the border into Bangladesh. Jahanara Begum of Bagariguri and Mumtaz Begum of Dhing Gaon went missing after being deported in June 2026. The women were sent across the border between June 13 and 14 despite having active appeals before the Gauhati High Court.
The Nagaon Foreigners Tribunal originally declared both women foreigners in 2019. The High Court set those opinions aside in April 2026, ordering the tribunal to review both cases again. Jahanara and Mumtaz checked in with the tribunal in late May 2026, but officials quickly took them into custody. They were gone by mid-June.
Gogoi wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar demanding action. He wants the ministry to coordinate with the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and the Assistant High Commission in Sylhet to find the women. He is also calling for consular help and travel documents to bring them home. Families remain in the dark.
The High Court reviewed the forced expulsions on September 3. Records from the BSF indicate the women were pushed out through the Kalaincherra area of Cachar. In the case of Mumtaz Begum, the court blasted the tribunal for a deliberate delay in providing documents. The judge noted an obvious element of malice in law. The court ordered the Assam government to pay Rs 2 lakh as interim compensation to Mumtaz's husband.
The judiciary has now looped the Ministry of External Affairs into the proceedings to force a search. Gogoi says the state cannot simply hide its actions behind a border. He noted, "People should not simply disappear after being taken into State custody and pushed across an international border."
Comments