India expels hundreds of Muslims unlawfully to Bangladesh: HRW

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Indian authorities of unlawfully expelling hundreds of Bengali-speaking Muslims—many of whom are Indian citizens—to Bangladesh without due legal process. 

The New York-based rights group said the expulsions, carried out since May 2025, reflect growing discrimination under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
According to HRW’s latest report, India has intensified border operations aimed at removing so-called “illegal immigrants.” However, many of those targeted have long been residents of Indian states bordering Bangladesh, such as Assam, West Bengal, and Tripura, and hold Indian documentation proving their citizenship. HRW alleges that the expulsions have been arbitrary, bypassing legal safeguards, detention review processes, and proper verification procedures.
“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 of addressing irregular immigration are unconvincing when due process rights and international human rights norms are being blatantly ignored.”
The organization said it interviewed 18 individuals and families affected by the crackdown in June, documenting nine cases where either Indian nationals were forcibly expelled or family members have disappeared after being detained. Some who were deported have since managed to return to India, recounting experiences of being detained without charges, denied legal representation, and then transported across the border under armed escort.
On July 8, HRW shared its findings with India’s Ministry of Home Affairs but received no response. The Indian government has not released official figures, but Bangladesh’s border authorities report that between May 7 and June 15 alone, India expelled more than 1,500 people, including women, children, and about 100 Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar. HRW says these expulsions are ongoing.
Indian officials maintain they are deporting undocumented migrants who crossed from Bangladesh illegally, a longstanding source of political tension in border states. Yet, HRW’s findings indicate that many deportees were Indian citizens who speak Bengali and identify as Muslims, raising concerns of religious and ethnic profiling.
Bangladesh has repeatedly protested the deportations, saying India’s unilateral actions bypass established bilateral repatriation protocols and risk worsening humanitarian issues. Dhaka has urged New Delhi to “follow transparent, verifiable processes to address these cases in line with international standards.”
The report comes amid heightened debate over India’s citizenship policies, including the controversial National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), both of which have drawn criticism for potentially marginalizing Muslim communities.