Gujarat Police are currently running 'Operation Delta Hunt' across the state to identify Bangladeshi nationals living here illegally. The same drive has now turned one family's life upside down in Anand district and raised a difficult question in which the strictness of the law and the bonds of human relationships stand face to face. Tarun Patel, a resident of Lambhvel village, has appealed to the state government not to send his wife back to Bangladesh, arguing that she has now embraced Hinduism and could face danger to her life if she returns.
A Story That Began on Facebook
According to Tarun, this relationship is not new but is nearly a decade old. In 2012-13, he got to know Kajal, a resident of Bangladesh, through the social media platform Facebook. Their early conversations grew into friendship, and that friendship gradually turned into love. Both wanted to marry, but the hurdle was that Kajal could not obtain a passport in Bangladesh. Around the same time, her family began pressuring her to marry someone else.
Kajal Reached India Ten Years Ago
Tarun claims that to escape this pressure, Kajal entered India illegally about ten years ago and reached Anand. Here the two married according to Hindu rituals and have been living together as husband and wife ever since. During this period the couple also had two children, one aged eight years and the other two years. Tarun says that after coming to India, Kajal fully adopted Hindu traditions and regularly visited temples to offer prayers.
Identified During the Operation
This ordinary family life was thrown off track when, during the recent 'Operation Delta Hunt', Kajal was identified as a Bangladeshi national living illegally in India. The Local Crime Branch (LCB) of Anand then took her into custody, and deportation proceedings have now been initiated against her. According to the family, Kajal is currently being kept in a women's shelter home, and since her detention her children have not been able to meet their mother.
An Emotional Plea to the Home Minister
Over this case, Tarun has made an emotional appeal to Gujarat's Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghvi. His argument is that Kajal has now adopted Hinduism, and therefore if she returns to Bangladesh, neither will her family accept her nor will she be safe there. He expressed fears that radical elements there could pose a threat to her life.
Describing his anguish, Tarun said, 'We have two small children. If their mother is separated from us, what will happen to the children? She came to India only to marry me and to spend her life with me.' He also made it clear that the family is fully prepared to follow whatever legal process is laid down to obtain Indian citizenship. Their only demand is that the wife should not be deported on humanitarian grounds and that the case be considered with sympathy.
The Son Also Appeals
The couple's elder son, Dhyan, has also joined this appeal. Demanding that the administration release his mother, he said that he cannot live without her and that she should be allowed to return home as soon as possible.
A Wide Crackdown Across the State
This entire episode has come to light at a time when Gujarat Police are carrying out a large-scale crackdown against Bangladeshi nationals living illegally across the state. According to data from the police headquarters, more than 600 Bangladeshi nationals have been detained in the state so far this month, of whom around 60 were caught from Anand district alone. So far, no official response has come from police officials on this particular case. But the incident has certainly brought to the fore the major challenge of striking a balance between the law, human sensitivities and family ties.
