In India’s northeastern state of Assam, a controversial crackdown has seen hundreds of Muslims forcibly taken to the Bangladesh border, accused of being “illegal” immigrants.
Since May, over 300 individuals, including 67-year-old Ufa Ali and 50-year-old Rahima Begum, have been detained and transported to the border, often at gunpoint, as part of a campaign led by Assam’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-run government.
Ali, a bicycle mechanic, described being stranded in no-man’s land for 12 hours, facing threats of violence from India’s Border Security Force (BSF) if he attempted to return.
“We saw hell underneath the blue sky and we saw life fading away from us,” Ali said.
The state’s Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has vowed to intensify these “pushbacks,” citing the need to protect Assam from alleged infiltrators.
The deportations have drawn sharp criticism from rights groups and opposition leaders, who argue the process lacks legal grounding and disproportionately targets Muslims.
Many of those expelled, like Shona Banu and Nijam Ahmed, possess documents proving their Indian citizenship, yet were still sent to the border.
Taskin Fahmina from Bangladesh’s Odhikar organization condemned the expulsions, stating, “This push by India is against national and international law.”
Bangladesh’s border guards have returned approximately 200 individuals, including 62-year-old Hazera Khatun, after verifying their Indian citizenship.
However, some, like 67-year-old Maleka Begam, remain stranded in Bangladesh, unable to return due to their frail health and lack of assistance.
The absence of due process, including arbitrary rulings by Assam’s Foreigners Tribunals, has fueled accusations of systemic bias against Bengali-speaking Muslims.
The crackdown extends beyond Assam, with states like Gujarat and Maharashtra detaining hundreds of suspected “Bangladeshi immigrants.”
In Gujarat, police identified over 250 individuals for deportation, while in Maharashtra, seven Muslims were handed to the BSF before being returned following intervention by West Bengal authorities.
Rights groups warn that the campaign, intensified after a deadly attack in Kashmir in April, risks escalating anti-Muslim sentiment nationwide.
“Muslim identities in any form are synonymous with terrorism in India under the BJP government,” said Apoorvanand, a Delhi University professor.
As families like that of Abdul Hanif, whose whereabouts remain unknown, seek answers, the lack of response from Indian authorities and the BSF underscores the growing controversy surrounding these expulsions.