India’s rights abuses: Bengali-speaking children from Assam forcibly sent to Bangladesh
Islamabad: Reports indicate that several children, along with dozens of adults, have been pushed into Bangladesh by Indian authorities on suspicion of being illegal immigrants.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian forces have carried out “pushbacks” across various border points, including those in West Bengal and Assam.
In one documented instance, 14 members of an extended family, including women and children, from Odisha were sent across the Gede border despite having Indian identification.
Affected children have claimed they are Indian nationals and that their parents remain detained in India. Some families reported that children born in India had their Indian documents confiscated during these expulsions.
The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) is currently verifying the identities of those pushed across the border and attempting to locate their relatives. Bangladesh has formally expressed concern, saying India is bypassing standard deportation protocols.
The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recently set a 30-day deadline for states to verify the credentials of suspected illegal immigrants before initiating further deportation or pushback procedures.
These actions have triggered petitions in the Supreme Court of India and the Gauhati High Court, with families seeking the whereabouts of relatives they claim are Indian citizens.
While Indian authorities claim to be targeting illegal migrants, rights groups and local governments notably in West Bengal argue that many deportees are Bengali-speaking Indian Muslims with decades-long roots in the country.
Bangladeshi authorities are now verifying identities and tracing families, while some children claim they are Indian nationals whose parents remain detained in India.
Such actions of Indian forces and government point to reckless handling of vulnerable minors, disregard for due process and violation of international child protection norms.
The episode fuels criticism of India’s treatment of marginalized communities and cross-border practices, suggesting a troubling pattern of shifting responsibility onto neighbors instead of ensuring transparency, accountability, and the basic rights and safety every child deserves.
On the evening of December 26, 2025, 14 members, including four children (youngest aged two) and a 90-year-old woman, of an extended family from Ambika village in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district were reportedly pushed across the Gede border in Nadia district into Bangladesh’s Darshana Nimtala area. Relatives say the family had Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, and land records proving Indian citizenship. BGB confirmed the incident, noting the group had no known relatives in Bangladesh and appeared to have been forced across the border under cover of fog while verification began.
Similar reports surfaced on May 14, 2025, involving 13 children reportedly pushed into Bangladesh, and again on June 26, 2025, when a Delhi-based family including an eight-year-old child was allegedly expelled. Observers warn these recurring cases suggest a widening enforcement pattern with serious humanitarian implications along the India-Bangladesh border.
