Bangladesh hopes India won't send Indians across border after BJP poll victories in WB, Assam

Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed  on 6 May expressed hope that incidents of people being pushed into Bangladesh from India would not increase following the BJP’s electoral victories in bordering Indian states.

“I hope no such incident will happen,” Ahmed told reporters when asked about fears of a rise in alleged “pushback” operations targeting people suspected of being illegal migrants.

He said the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) had been instructed to remain alert along the frontier.

Concerns after BJP victories

Ahmed’s remarks came a day after Khalilur Rahman warned that Dhaka would respond if new “push-in” incidents occurred following the political change in West Bengal, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the Assembly elections.

The BJP also retained power in neighbouring Assam for a third consecutive term.

During the election campaign, BJP leaders repeatedly accused the previous All India Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee of allowing illegal immigration from Bangladesh — allegations rejected by the TMC.

Debate over ‘pushback’ operations

The term “pushback” is commonly used in India to describe the forcible transfer of alleged undocumented migrants across the border, while Bangladeshi authorities refer to such actions as “push-ins”.

In recent years, several alleged pushback cases along the India-Bangladesh border have become contentious because Bangladeshi authorities and families claimed that many of those pushed across were actually Indian citizens — including Bengali-speaking Muslims from Indian states — and not Bangladeshi nationals.

Such allegations have surfaced particularly in border regions of Assam and other northeastern states, where citizenship verification drives and anti-infiltration campaigns have remained politically sensitive issues.

Dhaka has repeatedly sought verification mechanisms in disputed nationality cases, while Indian authorities have maintained that action is taken against illegal immigrants in accordance with domestic law.

Border tensions remain sensitive

The issue remains politically and diplomatically delicate for both countries, especially in border areas where communities often share linguistic, ethnic and familial ties across national boundaries.

Bangladesh officials said border forces would remain vigilant amid concerns that the post-election political climate in bordering Indian states could intensify attempts to identify and expel alleged undocumented migrants.