Indian government faces backlash over Muslim deportations

The Indian government is facing growing backlash over the deportation of hundreds of Bengali-speaking Muslims to Bangladesh, actions that rights groups say were carried out without proper legal procedures, according to Dawn via AFP.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the expulsions, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government of perpetuating a pattern of discriminatory treatment.

According to Bangladeshi authorities, more than 1,500 Muslims were deported between May 7th and June 15th.

HRW Asia Director Elaine Pearson argued the move is “fueling discrimination by arbitrarily expelling Bengali Muslims from the country, including Indian citizens.”

With an estimated 200 million Muslims living in India, Pearson warned that the government’s aggressive campaign against illegal immigration is putting vulnerable lives at risk and deepening existing prejudices.

Modi’s administration has consistently taken a hardline approach to immigration from Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Senior Indian officials have referred to undocumented migrants as “infiltrators” and “termites”- rhetoric that critics argue has increased fear among Bengali-speaking Muslim communities.

While Indian authorities maintain that those deported were in the country illegally, HRW has questioned the legitimacy of that claim. Pearson called the justification “unconvincing,” citing the government’s failure to follow proper legal procedures or meet international human rights standards.

HRW documented the experiences of 18 deportees. One of them, a 51-year-old daily wage labourer, recounted how India’s Border Security Force (BSF) took him to the border after midnight. “I walked into Bangladesh like a dead body,” he told the group.

Tensions between India and Bangladesh have worsened since a 2024 popular uprising overthrew Dhaka’s pro-India leadership. The diplomatic rift has coincided with an intensification of internal crackdowns in India.

In April 2025, a deadly attack in India-administered Kashmir killed 26 Hindu tourists, further escalating regional tensions. India blamed Pakistan for the assault but provided no public evidence — a claim Islamabad denied. In response, Indian authorities launched a sweeping security campaign, detaining thousands and deporting many to Bangladesh.

“The government is undercutting India’s long history of providing refuge to the persecuted as it tries to generate political support,” Pearson said.

On March 14th, UN chief Antonio Guterres remarked on a “disturbing rise in anti-Muslim bigotry” worldwide.

Dawn via AFP, Maghrebi.org