Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Indian authorities of forcibly expelling hundreds of ethnic Bengali Muslims—many of them Indian citizens—to Bangladesh in recent weeks, bypassing legal procedures and labeling them “illegal immigrants.”
In a statement released Wednesday, HRW criticized the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for what it described as discriminatory practices targeting Bengali Muslims. “India’s ruling BJP is fueling discrimination by arbitrarily expelling Bengali Muslims from the country, including Indian citizens,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at HRW. “Authorities’ claims that they are addressing irregular immigration ring hollow when due process and human rights guarantees are ignored.”
According to the rights group, over 1,500 Muslim men, women, and children were expelled from India between May 7 and June 15, citing data from Border Guard Bangladesh. The group said the expulsions included around 100 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, with removals continuing beyond that period.
HRW said it interviewed 18 people in June, including expelled individuals who returned to India and relatives of those who remain missing after being detained. On July 8, HRW submitted its findings to India’s Ministry of Home Affairs but said it has not received a response.
The organization highlighted that BJP-led states—including Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, and Rajasthan—have conducted mass detentions of Bengali-speaking Muslims, many of them low-income migrant workers. It alleged that detainees were handed over to border guards, some of whom used threats or physical force to push them across the border into Bangladesh without verifying their citizenship status.
Some deported individuals were later readmitted to India after proving their Indian nationality, HRW noted.
The crackdown reportedly intensified after an April militant attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. In May, Indian authorities also expelled about 100 Rohingya refugees from a detention center in Assam, and the UN reported that another group of 40 was forced into the sea near Myanmar with only life jackets. UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews called the incident “a serious violation” of international law, specifically the principle of nonrefoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to a place where their lives may be at risk.
India’s Supreme Court, however, declined to block the deportations, stating in early May that individuals found to be foreigners under Indian law could legally be deported. In response to the Rohingya incident at sea, the court dismissed the claims, calling them “a beautifully crafted story” without evidence.
Pearson said the government’s actions “reflect broader discriminatory policies against Muslims,” and accused it of undermining India’s historical role as a refuge for the persecuted.
HRW also criticized the treatment of Bengali-speaking Indians, pointing to widespread confusion over language and ethnicity. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the targeting of Bengali speakers, stating, “Is speaking Bengali a crime? You should be ashamed that by doing this, you’re making everyone who speaks Bengali appear to be Bangladeshi.”
