Bengali Muslims Fear Detention Amid Immigration Crackdown in India

Bengali Muslims Fear Detention Amid Immigration Crackdown in India
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Bengali-speaking Muslims in India are increasingly fearful of detention and deportation amid a government crackdown on alleged “illegal immigrants” from Bangladesh, Arab News reported. Despite many being Indian citizens, over 1,500 Muslim men, women, and children were forcibly expelled across the India-Bangladesh border between May 7 and June 15, according to a Human Rights Watch report citing Bangladeshi authorities.

The crackdown intensified following a deadly April attack in Jammu and Kashmir, where gunmen killed 26 tourists. Indian authorities blamed “terrorists” from Pakistan, and states governed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) subsequently rounded up thousands of Bengali Muslims, labeling them security risks and suspected illegal immigrants.

Khairul Islam, a 53-year-old former teacher from Assam, described being detained and pushed into no-man’s-land between India and Bangladesh before returning after proving his citizenship. Many others report similar harassment, citing their Bengali Muslim identity as the reason for targeting.

India’s Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has framed the expulsions as necessary to combat “Muslim infiltration” threatening India’s demographic balance. Critics, including Human Rights Watch, condemn the actions as discriminatory and lacking due process.

The crackdown also involves mass evictions of Bengali Muslim families accused of illegally occupying government land, raising concerns about religious and ethnic discrimination ahead of Assam’s 2026 elections. Activists argue the campaign primarily targets Bengali Muslims for political gain rather than addressing genuine immigration issues.