Indian Government Increases Pressure against Bengali-speakers and Other Muslims
TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 18 Aug 2025
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service
15 Aug 2025 – Indian authorities in recent days have expelled hundreds of Bengali-speaking Muslims to Bangladesh without due process, ostensibly to deter people from entering India without legal authorization. The Bengali Border Guard officials set the number of those expelled at 1,500, but the number is probably higher.
Irregular migration from Bangladesh to India has gone on for decades. There is no accurate data. The figures are often inflated for political purposes within India. Currently people are arrested and processed for expulsion from a wide range of Indian states: Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajastan, West Bengal, and Maharashtra.
In addition, the Indian authorities have also expelled Rohingya refugees, especially from a refugee center in Assam. There are an estimated 40,000 Rohingya refugees living in India. The Rohingya are Muslims who, under threat in Myanmar, have fled to Bangladesh and India.
Therefore, the Association of World Citizens (AWC) calls upon the Indian Government to ensure access to fundamental procedural safeguards for anyone subjected to expulsion. These safeguards include access to full information about the grounds for deportation, competent legal representation, and an opportunity to appeal a decision to expel.
People detained for expulsion should have access to adequate food, shelter, and medical facilities. Authorities should also address the specific needs of women, children, older people and persons with disabilities.
We are sure that India will soon follow the humanitarian traditions for which it is known in history.
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René Wadlow is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. He is President of the Association of World Citizens, an international peace organization with consultative status with ECOSOC, the United Nations organ facilitating international cooperation and problem-solving in economic and social issues, and editor of Transnational Perspectives.
Tags: Bangladesh, Bengalis, India, Muslims, Narendra Modi, West Bengal
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 18 Aug 2025.
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