Now Reading: Gogoi urges Jaishankar to trace two Assam women pushed to Bangladesh
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Gogoi urges Jaishankar to trace two Assam women pushed to Bangladesh
Congress MP and Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi has written to Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar seeking personal intervention to trace and bring back two women from Nagaon district who were sent across the India-Bangladesh border in June. Jahanara Begum and Mumtaz Begum were declared foreigners by a Foreigners' Tribunal in 2019. The Gauhati High Court set aside those orders in April 2026 and directed fresh consideration. After appearing before the tribunal on 29 and 30 May, both women were taken into custody and pushed across the border on the intervening night of 13 and 14 June, Gogoi said in a letter dated 2 October.
The High Court's September 3 order found that the tribunal 'deliberately and wilfully delayed' issuing a certified copy in Mumtaz Begum's case and noted 'malice in law'. It recorded similar findings for Jahanara Begum. Gogoi urged the government to direct the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and Assistant High Commission in Sylhet to pursue the matter with Bangladeshi authorities and facilitate consular assistance for the women's return. The Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election is scheduled for 6 October.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both The Hindu and The New Indian Express report the same core facts from Gogoi's letter and the High Court order, with near-identical framing. The Hindu provides more detail on the High Court's findings, including that the expulsion order was described as 'farcical' and that the women were in state custody when it was issued. The Express version adds the political context of the 6 October by-election in Nagaon, which The Hindu does not mention. Neither outlet adopts a critical stance toward the government beyond reporting the court's explicit criticism of state machinery, both treat the story as a case of due process violation by the tribunal and district administration, not a policy-level failure. The uniform coverage centres on the High Court's judicial findings and Gogoi's request, without editorialising.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): thehindu.com (neutral report), newindianexpress.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
