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The Wire
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
Poor Muslims, Uneducated, But Regular With Routine Police Visits: The People Assam Is 'Pushing Back' into Bangladesh
Barpeta (Assam): On May 25, Hazera Khatun (60) and Shona Bhanu (58) – both from Barpeta district in Assam – left their homes with a rare sense of hope. They were summoned to the Superintendent of Police's office in Barpeta and allegedly told that their long-standing 'foreigner cases' were about to be dismissed. 'They told us, 'You've been fighting this case for years. After this meeting, it will all be over',' Khatun said. 'We were tired and broken after fighting for many years – so we believed them. We thought Allah had finally answered our prayers," she added. That hope lasted only a few hours. By evening, they were locked inside a room, denied food or water, and then forced into police vehicles. They were taken to the Matia Transit Camp in Goalpara district, the largest detention facility in India for those that the government calls 'illegal foreigners.' In May 2025, the Assam government launched a sudden and sweeping crackdown on individuals it labelled 'illegal foreigners'. As part of the drive, the government detained and also deported those who were previously declared 'foreigners'. Most of them happened to be elderly Muslims of East Bengal origin. Both women were among the more than 300 people who were "pushed back" – a term increasingly being used by the government – to Bangladesh, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed in a legislative assembly session on June 9. Sarma said the 'illegal foreigners' were pushed back to Bangladesh under the The Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950. On May 27 at dawn, 14 people including Khatun and Bhanu were taken towards the Indo-Bangladesh border and Kurigram district in Bangladesh. Personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) forced both women to walk through jungle paths at gunpoint, they said. 'We had to cross the border because we were terrified,' said Bhanu. By morning of May 28, the women found themselves on no man's land in what they suspect was the Kurigram district in Bangladesh. 'We were left like animals,' Khatun said. 'We stood in knee-deep water, under the blazing sun, without food, medicine, or a place to sit," she added. Border Guard Bangladesh soon found them. They said the BGB detained them in an open field for the entire day, and then shifted them to a makeshift shelter. There, they were given a barebones meal. 'We were drenched, bitten by mosquitoes, and almost left to die,' Bhanu said. D-voters Khatun and Bhanu's nightmare began more than a decade ago, when they were each marked as D-voters or 'doubtful voters' – by the Election Commission. The D-voter category, introduced in 1997, allows electoral officials to flag individuals whose citizenship is suspected. Once marked as D-voters, individuals' names are referred to Foreigners' Tribunals (FTs) which have been set up across Assam by the government since 1964. FTs have often been reported to operate without transparency. Most of the people declared 'foreigners' by FTs are poor, illiterate, and Muslims of East Bengal origin. Spelling variations or missing documents can result in lifelong statelessness in the FTs' eyes. FTs in Assam had declared more than 1.5 lakh people 'foreigners' by the end of 2023. Among those declared 'foreigners', a major portion is uneducated women who were often married off before they were of legal age, making it difficult for them to establish a connection with their parents. Many Muslim families of East Bengali origin, however, have been living in Assam for generations. 'I had all my documents,' Khatun said. 'Land records, voter lists and labin naama (marriage certificate). Still, they called me a foreigner. I was born here. My parents and grandparents were born here.' 'I cannot prove myself a Bangladeshi citizen. But I can prove that I am an Indian citizen," Banu said. Khatun and Bhanu say that they had been declared foreigners years ago by the FT and were held in detention camps for over three years each. Their families managed to secure bail after appealing to the Gauhati high court. Both were released on the condition that they would report to their respective police stations once a week. The foreigners' tribunal at Barpeta. Photo: Kazi Sharowar Hussain. "Since her release, she has never missed a single date,' Khatun's daughter, Jorina Begum, said. 'Every Wednesday, no matter how ill she was or how bad the weather was, she went to the Barpeta Road police station." The 'push back' policy adopted by various state governments now bypasses India's legal and constitutional procedures. Lawyers say that no Indian law allows for 'pushbacks' – only deportation orders issued by the Union government, with diplomatic coordination and proof of nationality, are permitted. 'The Assam government is bypassing the law,' a Dhubri-based lawyer who chose to remain anonymous said. 'These are not deportations. These are illegal pushbacks that render people stateless.' Both Khatun and Bhanu spent at least two days in the makeshift camp in Bangladesh. After that, the Bangladesh government officially declared that the people found in different border areas are not Bangladeshi citizens. The women, along with 12 others, were eventually loaded into a vehicle again and brought back across the border — quietly, without any formal process or announcement. 'We thought they were going to kill us,' Khatun said. 'We were drenched, shivering, and starving. My chest hurt so badly, I truly thought I was going to die.' Both women were found on the highway near Goalpara on May 31 where the group split and Khatun and Bhanu were left behind. Their family members, with the help of local residents, rescued them from the spot where they had been dropped off. 'We received a phone call around 11.45 pm saying that two women had been found getting drenched in the rain,' said Bhanu's brother, Ashraf Ali. 'One of them was my sister' The Matia detention centre. Photo: Kazi Sharowar Hussain. Khatun's daughter said she had fallen sick and needed to go to the hospital for treatment. Khatun and Bhanu are still haunted by the incident. Khatun has grown physically weaker, while Bhanu has lost faith in people. 'I will die of a heart attack if I see the police once again,' said Khatun. Missing On the same Sunday, May 25, 70-year-old Karim Ali, a resident of Jania village in Barpeta district, also reported to the Superintendent of Police's office. A day earlier, his son Mannan Ali had received a phone call from the local police station, informing him that senior officials wanted to meet his father and that his "foreigner case" might be dismissed. Following the call, Karim Ali arrived at the SP office accompanied by his son. But no meeting took place. 'They told us to wait. Suddenly, I was pushed out of the gate, and my father was locked inside,' Mannan recalled. 'Later, a large police vehicle came and took him away.' Karim Ali had previously spent five years in a detention centre in Goalpara District Jail – before the Matia detention centre started functioning – after being declared a foreigner by a high court order. He was released during the COVID-19 pandemic following a Supreme Court directive to decongest detention camps. His wife, Saburjan Nessa, said he returned home severely ill. 'His health had deteriorated badly. He had been forced to eat rotting and low-quality food in the camp," she said. Since his disappearance, Ali's family has desperately been searching for him. They visited the Matia detention centre, but received no answers. The police officials only said, 'We know as much as you do.' With the help of a human rights group, the family has approached the Gauhati high court. His lawyers suspect that Ali, too, has been "pushed back" into Bangladesh. Kazi Sharowar Hussain (Kazi Neel) is a filmmaker, journalist and a poet from Barpeta, Assam. He heads Itamugur Community Media, a platform that amplifies the voices of the marginalised communities.
The Hindu
15-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Three West Bengal residents pushed into Bangladesh by BSF, return after State govt.'s intervention
Three West Bengal residents working in Mumbai were allegedly pushed into Bangladesh by the Border Security Force (BSF) earlier this week and on Sunday (June 15, 2025) returned to the country from the State's Cooch Behar district Minajul Sheikh, a resident of Beldanga in Murshidabad district, told The Hindu that his brother Minarul Sheikh was picked up from Mumbai where he was working and subsequently forced into Bangladesh. 'We got a call from one of the men in the group saying Minarul is in Bangladesh. We have approached the police at the Beldanga police station and the police assured us that they will return soon,' Minajul said. Not only Minarul Sheikh, at least two other workers were pushed into Bangladesh. The three workers — Minraul Sheikh and Nizamuddin Sheikh from Murshidabad and Mostafa Kamal Sheikh from Purba Bardhaman — also sent a video message to their relatives where they can be heard pleading before Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other public representatives of the State to ensure their return to India. After the West Bengal government raised the issue, the workers were repatriated to India through the Mekhliganj border in Bangladesh on Sunday afternoon. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member and chairperson of West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board Samirul Islam said when the workers were picked up by the police in Mumbai, all necessary documents were provided by the State government. 'What has happened is very unfortunate and illegal. These are citizens of India and cannot be illegally pushed into Bangladesh in such a manner,' Mr. Islam said. Officer-in-Charge of the Mekhliganj Police Station Mani Bhusan Sarkar said that after he received information from police stations in Murshidabad and Bardhaman about the Indian nationals in Bangladesh, he informed authorities of the BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh. 'The three men were handed over to us [Mekhliganj police station] after a flag meeting at the border,' the Officer-in-Charge said. According to sources, the three men were pushed into Bangladesh on Friday night somewhere along North Bengal and Bangladesh border. Over the past several months, India has been 'pushing back' undocumented Bangladeshi migrants detained across the country through the eastern border. The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has expressed concern to India about the 'push back' of individuals across the border, particularly undocumented migrants. There is no official word about the 'push back' from the BSF. While instances of the 'push back' of Bangladeshi nationals has come to the fore in Assam and Tripura, on this occasion, nationals of West Bengal were pushed into Bangladesh.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Time of India
BSF jawan abducted, tied and filmed by Bangladeshi nationals, freed after flag meet
A BSF jawan on duty at the Chandni Chowk border post in West Bengal's Murshidabad district was forcibly dragged into Bangladesh early Wednesday morning while questioning a group of individuals suspected of infiltration. The soldier, identified as Shri Ganesh from the 71st Battalion, was posted near the India-Bangladesh international border under the Suti Police Station area. He was taken across the border by a group of Bangladeshi nationals in what is now being described as a serious cross-border breach. Captured, tied, and filmed in Bangladesh BSF sources confirmed that the jawan was captured and held in Satrashiya village in Bangladesh's Chapai Nawabganj district. He had been attempting to prevent an infiltration bid near Kathalia village when the group overpowered him. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. A video, widely shared online, showed the trooper tied to a banana tree in what appeared to be a remote location. Voices in the footage revealed verbal abuse. Some individuals allegedly assaulted him. Others reportedly intervened to prevent further harm and handed him over to the Border Guard Bangladesh. The BSF, however, denied reports of assault. They confirmed the jawan was unharmed. 'The jawan was trying to maintain a humane approach and had thus allowed the Bangladeshi nationals to come closer to him considering them normal villagers. But they turned out to be criminals and they overpowered him and took him inside. We will take stern measures to prevent such incidents in the future,' a BSF official said. Live Events Rescued after prompt flag meeting The BSF acted quickly after realising the jawan had been abducted. They contacted their counterparts in the Border Guard Bangladesh and demanded his immediate release. A flag meeting between both forces took place within hours. 'He was abducted by Bangladeshi nationals and was held captive, but was released within a couple of hours after we flagged the issue with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). The jawan is now with us and doing fine,' a senior BSF official of the South Bengal Frontier told PTI. Following the flag meeting, the jawan was handed over to Indian authorities. He is now back with his unit. Earlier assumptions suggested that the BSF trooper may have crossed into Bangladesh accidentally while chasing suspected infiltrators. But the BSF enquiry has now confirmed that the soldier was still inside Indian territory when he was abducted. This clarification removes doubt and raises concerns about how such a breach could occur along a sensitive stretch of international border. Security review underway, questions remain The BSF is now reviewing standard procedures and security arrangements at the Chandni Chowk outpost and other vulnerable areas of the border. Investigations are ongoing to understand how the group managed to overpower an armed jawan and take him across the border. No official statement has yet been issued by the BSF beyond confirmation of the incident and recovery of the soldier. The authenticity of the viral video, although unverified by ET, has added pressure for both nations to re-examine cross-border cooperation mechanisms.
Mint
05-06-2025
- Mint
BSF jawan abducted by Bangladeshi nationals in West Bengal's Murshidabad, released later
A BSF trooper was allegedly abducted by Bangladeshi nationals in West Bengal's Murshidabad district but was released a few hours later after intervention with the Border Guard Bangladesh, PTI reported citing officials. 'The incident took place in the early hours near Chandni Chowk, close to the Border Security Force camp in Sutiar, Nurpur in the district,' they said. PTI reported citing BSF sources, that the jawan was trying to stop an infiltration attempt from the Bangladesh side near Kathalia village when he was captured by miscreants from Bangladesh's Chapai Nawabganj district. 'He was abducted by Bangladeshi nationals and was held captive, but was released within a couple of hours after we flagged the issue with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). The jawan is now with us and doing fine,' a senior BSF official of the South Bengal Frontier told PTI. The trooper was handed over to the Indian authorities after a flag meeting between the two border forces. Investigations are currently underway to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident, the sources told PTI. The BSF is reviewing security protocols in the area, but is yet to issue an official statement on the incident. (This is a developing story) Key Takeaways The incident underscores ongoing security challenges along the India-Bangladesh border. Quick diplomatic communication can lead to rapid resolution in cross-border incidents. The cooperation between BSF and BGB is crucial for maintaining peace at the border.
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Express Tribune
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Bangladesh says India pushes back 1,200 people
A demonstrator gestures as protesters clash with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the police outside the state-owned Bangladesh Television as violence erupts across the country after anti-quota protests by students, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 19, 2024. PHOTO:REUTERS Bangladesh said on Wednesday that neighbouring India has pushed more than 1,270 people across its border in the past month, mainly Bangladeshis, but also Indian citizens and Rohingya refugees. Bangladesh, largely encircled by land by India, has seen relations with New Delhi turn icy since a mass uprising toppled Dhaka's previous government last year. "Between May 7 and June 3, Indian authorities pushed in 1,272 individuals, including a few Indian citizens and Rohingya, through 19 bordering districts", Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officials said. "Only yesterday, they pushed 50 individuals." India's Hindu nationalist government has often described undocumented immigrants as "Muslim infiltrators", accusing them of posing a security threat. India has not commented on the recent returns across their shared border. Bangladeshi Jahidul Molla, 21, said he was among those sent back, saying he had been living in India's western state of Gujarat since he was 14.
