HRW alleges illegal deportation of Bengali Muslims by India

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Indian government of unlawfully deporting hundreds of ethnic Bengali Muslims to Bangladesh in recent weeks, in what the rights group describes as a violation of international law and due process.

In a report released Wednesday, the New York-based rights organization alleged that the Indian authorities identified these individuals as "illegal immigrants" and expelled them without following proper legal procedures. Many of those deported reportedly belonged to Indian states bordering Bangladesh, such as Assam, West Bengal, and others.

Since May 2025, the deportation drive has intensified under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government, HRW said.

"India’s ruling party is arbitrarily expelling Bengali Muslims, fueling discrimination—even against citizens," said Elaine Pearson, HRW’s Asia Director. "The government’s claims about stopping ‘illegal infiltration’ are not credible, as they are ignoring basic legal rights and international standards."

HRW’s investigation, based on interviews with 18 individuals from nine separate incidents, includes accounts from Indian citizens who were deported to Bangladesh and later managed to return. Some detainees reported being threatened, beaten, or forced at gunpoint by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) to cross into Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s Border Guard (BGB) has also confirmed that, between May 7 and June 15, India deported at least 1,500 Muslims, including women and children. Among them were around 100 Rohingya refugees.

The deportations have drawn criticism from human rights advocates, particularly in light of recent crackdowns on Muslim communities following violent incidents in Jammu and Kashmir earlier this year. In May, nearly 100 Rohingya were deported from Assam. The UN reported that India allegedly sent another group of 40 Rohingya into the sea, instructing them to swim toward Myanmar’s coast — a move condemned by UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews as a “gross violation of humanity.”

HRW warned that these actions violate international legal principles, including the non-refoulement doctrine, which prohibits returning individuals to countries where they face threats to life or freedom. The organization also cited violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The Indian government has yet to formally respond to HRW’s claims. A letter sent by the organization to India’s Ministry of Home Affairs on July 8 remains unanswered.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, meanwhile, has officially protested the deportations. In a letter to the Indian government on May 8, it said such "push-ins" are unacceptable and that only individuals proven to be Bangladeshi citizens should be returned through a formal process.

India’s Supreme Court declined in May to halt the deportation of Rohingyas, stating that individuals without Indian citizenship could be legally repatriated. However, it dismissed reports of Rohingyas being pushed into the sea as a "fabricated story" — a claim the government neither confirmed nor denied.

HRW has called for an immediate halt to arbitrary deportations and urged India to uphold its constitutional and international obligations, ensuring due process and protection for vulnerable communities.