Human Rights Watch: India Forcibly Pushing Bengali Muslims into Bangladesh
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Indian authorities are forcibly pushing people, particularly from the Bengali Muslim ethnic group in West Bengal state, into Bangladesh without any basic judicial process. Human rights organization Human Rights Watch reported this information on Tuesday.
The organization stated that in the efforts of India's Border Security Force (BSF) to push people across and the Border Guard Bangladesh's (BGB) attempts to prevent entry, many families have become stranded at the "zero line" between the two countries.
The Human Rights Watch report said that Bangladeshi border guards have reported that since June 1, 2026, they have foiled 21 BSF attempts. In these efforts, attempts were made to push more than 200 people, including children, into Bangladesh's border districts.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who took office after the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the election in March, stated that under his "detect, delete and deport" policy, hundreds of "Bangladeshi infiltrators" had been detained and nearly 5,000 people had been forced "to go back."
Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said, "Indian authorities are cruelly pushing families into Bangladesh or leaving them stranded at the border, ignoring their basic human rights."
"The government should stop unlawfully expelling people, ensure procedural safeguards, coordinate with Bangladeshi authorities to verify citizenship, and end this alarming hostility toward Muslims," she added.
Human Rights Watch interviewed a total of nine individuals. They observed how India's border security forces bring groups of people to the border at night and push them through gaps in the barbed wire fence into Bangladeshi territory. In several cases, it was seen that when Bangladeshi border guards did not allow entry, Indian border guards ultimately let them return.
Indian authorities claim that many Bangladeshis are living illegally in India and that assistance is being provided for their voluntary return. However, Human Rights Watch said genuinely voluntary repatriation, even with assistance, is consistent with international human rights standards. But India should not carry out forced repatriation or forcible expulsion. Additionally, as alleged in some interviews, people should not be deprived of their documents, money, and personal belongings.
Bangladeshi authorities have stated that they will not accept people pushed across the border without any legal process. Their position is that repatriation must occur through proper verification and established procedures.
