Assam Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi has urged the Ministry of External Affairs to urgently trace and bring back two women from Nagaon district who were sent to Bangladesh. The whereabouts of Musstt. Jahanara Begum and Musstt. Mumtaz Begum remain unknown after they were sent across the border in June this year.
Gaurav Gogoi wrote a letter to the External Affairs Minister requesting personal intervention to trace both women and bring them back to India. Both women were earlier declared foreigners by the Foreigners Tribunal at Nagaon in 2019 and had challenged the decisions before the Gauhati High Court. In April 2026, the High Court set aside the earlier opinions and sent both matters back to the Tribunal for fresh consideration.
According to the letter, both women appeared before the Tribunal in May and were taken into custody shortly after. Gogoi stated that neither woman was given an effective opportunity to obtain a fresh Tribunal opinion and challenge it in the High Court. The District Commissioner of Nagaon issued expulsion orders on June 2 directing them to leave India within 24 hours while they were still in state custody.
Both women were handed over to the Border Security Force and sent across the border during the night of June 13 and 14. The Gauhati High Court has already directed that the Ministry of External Affairs be made a party to the case to help locate the women in Bangladesh.
