Bangladesh on Wednesday accused neighbouring India of forcibly pushing over 1,270 people across the border over the past month, including Bangladeshi nationals, Indian citizens, and Rohingya refugees.
According to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officials, between May 7 and June 3, a total of 1,272 individuals were sent across the border into Bangladesh through 19 districts. "Only yesterday, they pushed 50 individuals," a BGB official reported.
Relations between the two South Asian neighbours have soured since a popular uprising in Bangladesh last year led to the ousting of Dhaka's previous government. India, which surrounds Bangladesh on three sides, has yet to officially comment on the recent allegations.
India’s Hindu nationalist government has often described undocumented immigrants—particularly Muslims—as “infiltrators,” citing national security concerns.
Among those reportedly forced across the border was 21-year-old Jahidul Molla, a Bangladeshi who had lived in India’s Gujarat state since he was 14. Speaking to AFP, Molla said he was detained at home, flown to a detention centre, held for two weeks, then placed on a ship with over 50 others.
“For three days, they beat us and gave us no food,” Molla alleged, claiming they were later thrown overboard in the Sundarbans mangrove region, which spans the India-Bangladesh border. “The coast guard rescued us and handed us to the police,” he added. AFP was unable to independently verify his account.
The BGB said some of the returned Rohingya were registered refugees with the UNHCR in India. The Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority from Myanmar, have faced decades of persecution, with a violent military crackdown in 2017 prompting over a million to flee—most to Bangladesh, but some to India.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry, led by caretaker government official Md Touhid Hossain, said it was actively seeking a diplomatic solution. “We are putting all our efforts into resolving the issue through dialogue,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Indian media report that more than 2,000 alleged illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have been deported in recent weeks following a brief military conflict with Pakistan.
India’s Home Minister Amit Shah in February reiterated the government’s hardline stance: “The issue of illegal intruders is related to national security and should be dealt with strictly. They should be identified and deported.”
The cross-border expulsions have raised tensions in a region already grappling with geopolitical volatility and humanitarian crises.
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