Human Rights Watch Alleges Forced Pushbacks of Bengali Muslims from India to Bangladesh

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Indian authorities of forcibly pushing Bengali Muslim communities across the border into Bangladesh without due legal procedures, according to a report released Tuesday.

The rights organization said India’s Border Security Force (BSF) has been detaining individuals in the “zero line” or no-man’s land along the West Bengal and Assam borders, creating what it described as a severe humanitarian and human rights crisis.

The report alleges that the BSF has been attempting to push people across the border at night through barbed-wire fencing. According to HRW, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has so far blocked 21 such attempts since June 1, involving more than 200 people, including children, who were allegedly being sent into Bangladeshi territory.

HRW claims that individuals are being identified as “illegal immigrants” based on removal from voter rolls, and that even those holding national identity documents such as Aadhaar cards have been detained and taken to border areas.

Families stranded in the border zone are reportedly living under harsh conditions, exposed to heavy rain, thunderstorms, and open skies, with limited access to food and basic necessities.

Meenakshi Ganguly, Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, said Indian authorities were “cruelly pushing families while disregarding their basic rights,” urging the government to end what she described as discriminatory and unlawful expulsions.

She also noted that Bangladesh authorities have stated they will not accept anyone without proper legal procedures and nationality verification, emphasizing that repatriation must follow established mechanisms.

The report further references political statements from leaders in India’s West Bengal and Assam states, suggesting that rhetoric around identifying and expelling “infiltrators” has influenced enforcement practices at the border.

HRW stressed that citizenship cannot be denied on the basis of ethnicity or religion under international conventions, and called on India to ensure legal safeguards, access to lawyers, the right to appeal, and special protection for children.

The organization concluded that border management measures must never override human dignity and fundamental human rights.