– Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi/Kolkata: Bengali-speaking Muslims, especially in BJP-ruled states, are reportedly being detained and deported arbitrarily. Political parties and rights groups have condemned the actions as unconstitutional and communally biased.
The crackdown follows a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir. Since then, joint police and BSF teams have started detaining suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Most of those targeted are Bengali-speaking Muslims, according to West Bengal-based human rights group MASUM.
The CPI(M) accused the BJP-led Union and state governments of using the Pahalgam incident to target minorities in the name of national security. The party said even Indian citizens and people with pending appeals in Foreigners Tribunals or higher courts are being deported to Bangladesh without legal process. They called this inhuman and a violation of law.
MASUM raised similar concerns. It said people are taken without warrants, blindfolded, and handed to BSF. They are then deported illegally. Victims are not presented before any court, which denies them legal rights, MASUM said.
Both CPI(M) and MASUM alleged that Muslims are being unfairly profiled. MASUM added that the crackdowns began soon after the government took a tough stance against Pakistan, pointing to collective punishment.
CPI(M) also slammed the Assam government’s move to arm “indigenous people” for border security. The party called it dangerous and likely to worsen communal tensions.
“Pushing people across borders without trial and arming select groups will not stop infiltration,” CPI(M) warned. It urged the government to follow law, not religion, in dealing with undocumented migrants.
Both groups demanded an immediate stop to these actions and accountability. MASUM urged the NHRC, judiciary, and Home Ministry to order an independent judicial probe and punish those responsible.
MASUM said India must not let justice and equality be replaced by arbitrary and communal acts.
The government has not officially responded yet.
