Kolkata: Sohini Roy, the widow of West Bengal resident Bitan Adhikary—one of the 26 tourists killed in the Pahalgam terror attack —has been granted Indian citizenship by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, putting an end to the longstanding controversy over claims that she was originally a Bangladeshi citizen.
The citizenship controversy surrounding Sohini Roy surfaced after Bitan's family members alleged that she was originally a Bangladeshi national who had been living in India illegally following her marriage to Bitan.
Bitan, a software engineer based in California, USA, lived there with Sohini and their son. The family had come to India on vacation and was visiting Jammu and Kashmir when Bitan was tragically killed in the terror attack.
“Bitan’s wife Sohini Roy had applied for Indian citizenship after she got married. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has given her Indian citizenship. This is a fresh lease of life for the woman who has lost her husband recently. She can now live in India without any fear. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for their swift response,” Union Minister of State for DoNER, Sukanta Majumdar said.
According to the certificate of registration issued by the Indian government, Sohini Roy was born in Fatullah, Narayanganj, Bangladesh in March 1989 and crossed into India in January 1997. She has been residing in India ever since.
Her citizenship became the center of controversy, with widespread criticism on social media where there were allegations that Sohini was the cause of internal family disputes, and Bitan’s family went so far as to blame her for his death.
The family also claimed that fraud cases had been filed against Sohini and her mother, Bharati Roy, which are still pending. Additionally, it was alleged that Sohini concealed her identity when marrying Bitan—an IT professional—and that she possesses two different birth certificates.
Based on these claims, the family argued that Sohini should not be legally entitled to any government compensation following Bitan’s death.
Even Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh in one his posts on X handle wrote, “Request to Central Govt and State Govt. Don't give the total compensation amount to Mrs Adhikari alone. Kindly divide it, and give an amount to Mr Bitan Adhikary's parents also. They are totally helpless and there are some factors within their family. After Bitan's death, the parents became more helpless. If the Govt gives compensation to the family, the situation of the parents should be considered separately. In their absence, the amount also will automatically shift over to Mrs Adhikari or Master Adhikari. But at this moment, financial protection must be given to Parents also. I am confidant, State Govt will consider this point seriously. The Central Govt should think alike also.”
Interestingly, the Rs10 lakh compensation announced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was split equally, with Rs 5 lakh given to Sohini Roy and the remaining Rs 5 lakh handed over to Bitan Adhikary’s parents.
