West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has claimed that nearly 5,000 Bangladeshi citizens have been deported from India following recent political developments in the state.
Addressing a public briefing in Kolkata on Sunday, Suvendu Adhikari said the deportation process began after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state last month. He stated that the government had intensified efforts to identify and remove undocumented migrants under its stated policy of “detect, delete and deport.”
According to him, 4,800 Bangladeshi nationals have already been sent back across the border. He added that another 836 individuals are currently being held in detention or “holding centres” and are expected to be deported soon.
The West Bengal administration reportedly established holding centres across districts in May to process individuals identified as undocumented migrants, including both Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya refugees. Authorities say the move is aimed at managing irregular migration through structured procedures.
India shares a long and porous border with Bangladesh, where cross-border movement has historically been influenced by economic factors, family ties, and regional mobility. The issue of migration has often remained politically sensitive in border states.
The deportation drive comes amid long-standing political debates in India over undocumented migration. Officials from the ruling party have frequently described such migrants as “infiltrators,” a stance that critics say risks conflating illegal migration with religious identity.
Rights groups have previously alleged that some individuals have been pushed across the border without proper legal procedures.
Meanwhile, diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh have experienced fluctuations in recent years, particularly after political changes in Dhaka in 2024. However, both countries have continued engagement on border management issues, with a meeting between border force chiefs scheduled to be held in New Delhi on Monday.
