India Deports Nearly 5,000 Bangladeshis as West Bengal Launches Migrant Crackdown
Kolkata- Indian authorities have deported nearly 5,000 Bangladeshi nationals from the eastern state of West Bengal since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed power last month, state officials said, as the new administration intensifies efforts against undocumented migration.
The campaign follows a landslide electoral victory by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP in West Bengal, where the party pledged to “detect, delete and deport” illegal migrants.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Sunday that 4,800 Bangladeshi citizens had already been deported after being held in newly established detention facilities across the state.
“We have started the work of deporting Bangladeshi infiltrators who do not fall under the purview of the Citizenship Amendment Act,” Adhikari told reporters in Kolkata.
He said the government established holding centers in every district during May and that a further 836 people were currently being held pending deportation.
India and Bangladesh share a long and porous border, and migration between the two countries has historically been driven by economic opportunities, family ties and cross-border cultural links.
The new state administration has also ordered detention measures for Rohingya refugees, members of a predominantly Muslim minority who fled persecution in neighboring Myanmar.
The deportation drive has renewed debate over immigration and citizenship in one of India’s most politically sensitive border regions.
Senior BJP leaders have frequently described undocumented migrants as “infiltrators,” arguing that illegal migration places pressure on public resources and alters demographic balances.
Critics, including civil rights advocates and opposition groups, contend that the government’s rhetoric and enforcement measures disproportionately affect Muslim communities and risk undermining due process protections. Human rights organizations have previously accused Indian authorities of forcibly expelling Bengali-speaking Muslims without adequate legal review.
The crackdown comes as diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh continue to recover from tensions that emerged after the 2024 political upheaval in Dhaka, which ended the rule of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a close partner of New Delhi.
A new government elected in Bangladesh in February has sought to stabilize ties with India. Border security chiefs from both countries are scheduled to meet in New Delhi on Monday to discuss cross-border issues, including migration and security cooperation.
