Hundreds of alleged irregular migrants, most of them Bengali-speaking Muslims, have been pushed into Bangladesh through various border points, according to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), as reported by local media on Thursday.
In a chilling account of abuse, Selina Begum, 41, alleged that the India’s Border Security Force (BSF) tied empty plastic bottles to her and her three daughters to keep them afloat before pushing them into the Feni River along the Tripura border.
Family members told The Daily Star they had been working as labourers in Haryana when Indian authorities detained them. After an overnight hold, they were taken to the border, stripped of their money and phones, and forced into the river.
At least 1,053 individuals have been forced across the border under what is being described as a “push back” policy by the Indian government, The Daily Star reported, citing the BGB.
According to the report, the migrants were pushed through several districts: 331 through Moulvibazar, 111 via Khagrachhari, 103 through Sylhet, and dozens more through points in Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Jhenaidah, and others.
Another 45-year-old woman, speaking anonymously to The Daily Star, said she and her husband had been detained in Delhi on May 10, along with 46 others. “We were held for three days without food or water. Then, around 3am, we were driven to the border and forced across,” she said.
Many of those pushed back were Bangladeshi nationals who had lived in India for years. Some had children born in India who held Indian documents, which were forcibly confiscated during the expulsions, Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, director general of BGB, told The Daily Star.
The pace of expulsions appears to have accelerated amid a downturn in bilateral relations following the recent ousting of Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina-led government.
“BGB remains on high alert and has intensified surveillance and patrols in sensitive areas,” he said. “However, the neighbouring authorities continue to deny the push-ins, in clear contradiction of the facts. These acts are not only blatant violations of human rights but also glaring falsehoods.”
Siddiqui said repeated protests through flag meetings and diplomatic channels have gone unheeded by BSF. He added that victims have reported mistreatment in Indian custody prior to expulsion.
“These recurring incidents are deeply concerning. Victims have reported inhumane treatment, including detention, confiscation of documents, and even physical abuse prior to being pushed across the border,” he added.
On May 7, five UNHCR (India)-registered Rohingya refugees were also pushed in through the Kurigram border after being forcibly relocated.
The BJP's nationalist rhetoric has left India's Muslim population of more than 220 million fearful for their future.
Crackdown on migrants
Following last month’s attack in India-administered Kashmir’s mountainous region Pahalgam, the deportation of undocumented migrants from India’s capital, New Delhi, has intensified.
In a coordinated crackdown across the capital, Delhi Police identified 470 undocumented Bangladeshi nationals and 50 other foreign overstayers.
According to the Indian Express, they were subsequently flown from Hindon air base in Ghaziabad to Agartala in Tripura and deported to Bangladesh via the land border.
Officials said the drive followed a directive from the Union Home Ministry last year to verify and detain undocumented Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingya. Over the past month, three to four special flights were used for the transfers.
Many of those detained reportedly came from the Hindu nationalist BJP-ruled states. On May 10, Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma publicly endorsed the “push back” mechanism as a means of curbing infiltration instead of following the legal repatriation route.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry had earlier sent a letter to India, dated May 8, expressing grave concern over the expulsions and urging New Delhi to adhere to established repatriation mechanisms.
