English
India's Mass Deportation of Bangladeshi Nationals Since BJP Election Win
India has deported nearly 5,000 people to Bangladesh since the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in West Bengal in May 2026, marking one of the largest coordinated expulsion campaigns in recent years. The deportations, carried out under a promise to 'detect, delete and deport' illegal migrants, have drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups and strained bilateral relations between New Delhi and Dhaka.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on June 7 that 4,800 Bangladeshi citizens had been deported from holding centres established across all districts in May, with another 836 awaiting deportation. The new BJP-led state government ordered the creation of detention centres for undocumented Bangladeshis and Rohingya refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar. According to Indian authorities, more than 830 people are currently held in these centres pending removal.
Context: BJP's Election Victory and Immigration Crackdown
The BJP won a sweeping victory in West Bengal's April 2026 elections, unseating the Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee. The party campaigned heavily on a platform of identifying and expelling undocumented immigrants, particularly Bengali-speaking Muslims. West Bengal shares a porous 2,200-kilometer border with Bangladesh, and roughly one-third of the state's population is Muslim.
The deportation campaign is part of a broader nationwide operation. Since May 7, 2025, India's Union Government launched Operation Sindoor, a coordinated crackdown that has led to the detention and covert deportation of over 2,000 individuals suspected of being undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants across states including Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Detainees are reportedly flown by Indian Air Force aircraft to border states, handed to the Border Security Force (BSF), and pushed across the border within hours, often without judicial oversight or formal deportation orders.
The India Bangladesh border tensions have escalated significantly since the operation began.
Human Rights Concerns and Due Process Violations
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report in July 2025 documenting the unlawful expulsion of at least 1,500 Bengali-speaking Muslims, including Indian citizens, between May 7 and June 15, 2025. Expelled individuals reported being beaten, having their identity papers destroyed, and being coerced into claiming Bangladeshi citizenship under duress.
'India's ruling BJP is fueling discrimination through arbitrary expulsions targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims, reflecting broader discriminatory policies against Muslims,' said Elaine Pearson, HRW's Asia director.
Critics argue that the BJP is conflating religious identity with illegal migration, further marginalizing India's estimated 200 million Muslim population. The BJP, which advocates Hindu nationalism, has long viewed India as primarily a land for Hindus. Hindustani officials have referred to migrants as 'termites' and 'infiltrators' in public speeches.
The Campaign for Judicial Justice (CJP) reported that deportations are being carried out without judicial oversight, formal deportation orders, or access to legal representation. Specific cases include 90 individuals detained from brick kilns in Mathura (including 28 children) and 700 deported from Delhi. The India's Citizenship Amendment Act controversy provides important context for understanding the current crackdown.
Bangladesh's Diplomatic Response and Border Resistance
Bangladesh's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed confirmed that Dhaka has sent 12 to 13 diplomatic letters to India seeking to stop push-in attempts, stressing that repatriation must follow legal processes. The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has resisted around 30 push-in attempts by the Indian BSF in recent weeks.
'We have repeatedly called on India to stop these deportations. They are straining our bilateral relationship,' a Bangladeshi government spokesperson said this week.
According to BGB data, 2,479 people were pushed into Bangladesh from May 2025 to January 2026, with at least 120 identified as Indian citizens. Bangladesh warned that it would not accept push-ins and would escalate the matter diplomatically if necessary.
The India Bangladesh diplomatic relations have been under significant strain since the 2024 revolution in Dhaka that ended Sheikh Hasina's rule, though ties had slowly improved after a new government was elected in February 2026.
Impact on Muslim Communities and Regional Stability
The crackdown has had a devastating impact on Bengali-speaking Muslim communities across India. Many of those deported were internal migrants who had moved from states like Assam and West Bengal to work in other parts of India. Some were Indian citizens who had lived in the country for decades.
In West Bengal, the new government has also ordered the demolition of structures belonging to alleged Bangladeshi immigrants, despite a Supreme Court ruling against such actions. Human rights organizations warn that the shadow deportation regime risks wrongful expulsions and statelessness for vulnerable individuals.
The deportations come amid a broader rise in hate speech and attacks on religious minorities in India. HRW's World Report 2026 documented at least 64 hate speech incidents in the 10 days following a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir in April 2025, which killed 26 people and triggered Operation Sindoor.
FAQ: India's Deportation of Bangladeshi Nationals
How many people has India deported to Bangladesh?
India has deported nearly 5,000 people to Bangladesh since May 2026, with 4,800 deported from West Bengal alone and another 836 awaiting removal. Since May 2025, over 2,000 more have been deported under Operation Sindoor from other states.
Why is India deporting people to Bangladesh?
The BJP-led government claims these individuals are illegal immigrants without proper documentation. The party campaigned on a promise to 'detect, delete and deport' undocumented migrants, particularly in West Bengal which shares a long border with Bangladesh.
Are all deportees actually Bangladeshi citizens?
Human rights groups say no. HRW and other organizations have documented cases where Indian citizens, particularly Bengali-speaking Muslims, were unlawfully expelled. At least 120 of those pushed back since May 2025 have been identified as Indian citizens.
What is Operation Sindoor?
Operation Sindoor is a nationwide crackdown launched by India's Union Government on May 7, 2025, following the Pahalgam terrorist attack. It involves the detention and covert deportation of alleged undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants without judicial oversight, using Indian Air Force aircraft to transport detainees to the border.
How has Bangladesh responded?
Bangladesh has sent multiple diplomatic letters opposing the deportations, and its border guards have resisted around 30 push-in attempts. Dhaka warns that the expulsions are straining bilateral relations and insists that repatriation must follow legal procedures.
Follow Discussion