India has deported more than 2,500 suspected Bangladeshi nationals since early May 2025 as part of a large-scale nationwide campaign. This crackdown has raised serious concerns about human rights violations, legal fairness, and international standards.

Nationwide Crackdown on Illegal Immigration

The deportation drive, which started on May 7, 2025, involves mass arrests of suspected illegal immigrants across key states like Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam, and Rajasthan. After detention, many are moved to border areas in Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya, where they are handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) and forcibly sent into Bangladesh.

In a significant change, many detainees are now being flown to the border using Indian Air Force aircraft, The Indian Express reported.

Security Concerns Spark Action

Authorities claim this mass deportation is a response to national security threats, especially after the terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir on April 22, 2025, which killed 26 civilians and triggered tensions with Pakistan.

In Assam alone, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reported nearly 1,000 people detained and 303 already expelled, according to IANS.

Digital ID System Expands Deportation Efforts

The Foreigners Identification Portal, originally created in 2018 to track Rohingya refugees, is now being used to store biometric and personal data of suspected Bangladeshi migrants. State governments, union territories, and the foreign ministry have access to this database, which supports faster deportation decisions.

Applicants for Indian documents like Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards are now being screened against this database. The Home Ministry has also given states a strict 30-day deadline to verify the identity of undocumented immigrants.

Deportations Bypass Legal Procedures

The crackdown has extended to Rohingya refugees and even convicted foreign nationals in Indian jails. Assam’s Chief Minister mentioned that some individuals protected by India’s Supreme Court and High Courts have still been deported, though a few returned later through diplomatic efforts.

Using a recent Supreme Court ruling on Section 6A of the 1955 Citizenship Act, authorities are bypassing Foreigners Tribunals, which usually decide citizenship claims. Section 6A allows those who entered Assam between 1966 and 1971 to apply for citizenship—a provision long opposed by many Assamese groups.

However, critics argue the tribunal system has failed. In one tragic case, Rahim Ali, an Assam resident, fought a 12-year legal battle to prove his citizenship but died before the Supreme Court ruled him Indian, calling the lower tribunal’s decision a “grave miscarriage of justice.”

Bangladesh Protests India’s Deportation Drive

On May 8, 2025, Bangladesh filed a diplomatic protest against India’s actions, with its foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain calling for the issue to be resolved through legal and diplomatic means.

Though Indian officials claim illegal migration from Bangladesh is rising, Bangladesh’s Border Guard says migration has dropped due to the country’s improving economy. In fact, during 2020-21, Bangladesh’s per capita income briefly surpassed India’s, challenging the usual claims of economic migration.

Thousands Awaiting Deportation

India’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal stated that over 2,360 people are still waiting for deportation confirmation from Bangladesh, with some cases pending since 2020. In Delhi alone, police have arrested 66 alleged Bangladeshi immigrants, PTI reported.

Stories of Mistaken Identity and Human Rights Violations

Many deported individuals claim to be Indian citizens wrongfully labeled as Bangladeshis. For example, Khairul Islam, a 51-year-old teacher from Assam, was deported on May 23, 2025, despite submitting proof of Indian citizenship.

In a video shared online, Islam described being tied up and treated like a criminal, even after spending two years in a detention center and filing an appeal that remains pending in the Supreme Court.

“I am an Indian, so why would I go to Bangladesh?” he said, adding that he was beaten at Assam’s Matia Detention Centre.

Rights Groups Condemn Mass Deportations

Human rights activists, lawyers, and scholars have strongly criticized the deportation drive. In a public statement, 125 academics and activists urged India to stop these “pushbacks” and allow deported citizens to return.

“This is not just a legal failure, it’s a humanitarian crisis that threatens India’s constitutional democracy,” the statement read.

Rohingya Refugees Also Targeted

Reports have also emerged that at least 40 Rohingya refugees were flown from Delhi to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and then allegedly abandoned near Myanmar, still handcuffed and blindfolded.

Bangladeshi media reported that around 300 individuals, including Rohingyas, were forcibly returned between May 7-9, often through isolated border points.