Police and BSF personnel have been conducting joint operations to detain and deport suspected illegal Bangladeshis, many of whom are Bengali-speaking Muslims.
NEW DELHI/KOLKATA – Allegations of arbitrary detention and illegal deportation of Bengali-speaking Muslims, particularly in BJP-ruled states, have sparked widespread outrage from political and human rights groups. In strongly worded statements, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), a West Bengal-based human rights organisation, condemned the actions as unconstitutional and communally motivated.
The developments come in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, which has triggered a series of crackdowns across multiple border states. According to reports cited by MASUM, local police and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel have been conducting joint operations to detain and deport suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, many of whom are Bengali-speaking Muslims.
The CPI(M) alleged that the BJP-led Union and state governments are using the Pahalgam incident to target minorities under the pretext of national security. “Even genuine Indian citizens and those awaiting legal appeals in Foreigners Tribunals or higher courts are being pushed back into Bangladesh without due process,” the party said in an official statement. “This is not only inhuman, but also a gross violation of legal procedure.”
MASUM echoed similar concerns, stating that individuals are being picked up without warrants, blindfolded, and handed over to BSF officers who are then deporting them across the border illegally. “These acts are criminal. Victims are not produced before any court, thereby stripping them of their fundamental right to legal protection,” said the organisation.
Both CPI(M) and MASUM have accused the authorities of communal profiling, asserting that the operations disproportionately target Muslims. MASUM further noted that the timing of these crackdowns—soon after the government’s aggressive posturing against Pakistan—suggests a pattern of collective punishment.
The CPI(M) also criticised the Assam government’s decision to arm “indigenous people” as part of its border security measures. The party called it “a dangerous move with far-reaching communal consequences.”
“Pushing people across borders without trial and arming selected sections of society are not solutions to infiltration,” the CPI(M) warned. “The government must adhere to the rule of law, not religious identity, in dealing with undocumented migrants.”
Both organisations have called for an immediate halt to these actions and demanded accountability. MASUM has urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the judiciary, and the Ministry of Home Affairs to launch an independent judicial probe and prosecute the officials responsible.
“As a democratic republic, India cannot afford to let the principles of justice and equality be replaced by arbitrary action and communal vengeance,” MASUM stated.
The government has yet to respond officially to the allegations.