Assam, Gujarat Cracking Down On Bangladeshi Immigrants

India-West News Desk

GUWAHATI – Indian states, notably Assam and Gujarat, are intensifying efforts to expel individuals they deem illegal immigrants, primarily into neighboring Bangladesh, a move that human rights activists told Reuters, was arbitrary and concerning.

Police in Ahmedabad recently announced the identification of over 250 individuals “confirmed to be Bangladeshi immigrants living illegally here.”

In Assam, authorities have “pushed back” 303 people into Bangladesh since May. This figure is drawn from an estimated 30,000 individuals who have been declared foreigners by various tribunals over the years, a top official confirmed this week to Reuters.

This action is popular politically in Assam. The state sees competition for jobs and resources between local Assamese speakers and Bengali-language speakers, many of whom are perceived to have origins in Bangladesh.

Many of those targeted in Assam are long-term residents with established families and land within the state, which has historically been home to tens of thousands of families with roots in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Reuters quoted lawyers and activists as saying.

It said, human rights activists argue that a significant number of these individuals and their families are often wrongly classified as foreigners.