Indian authorities are forcibly expelling ethnic Bengali residents, mostly Muslims from West Bengal state, to Bangladesh without basic due process, Human Rights Watch said today. The chief minister of India’s West Bengal state, Suvendu Adhikari, who took office after the Hindu-majoritarian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the March elections, said that the government under his “detect, delete and deport” policy had detained hundreds of “Bangladeshi infiltrators” and forced nearly 5,000 people “to go back.” Indian officials contend that numerous Bangladeshis are living in India illegally and have offered to help them return voluntarily. West Bengal authorities have arbitrarily detained hundreds of alleged irregular Bangladeshi immigrants in holding centers.

Hundreds "pushed" to border and many others put in detention centres as part of a crackdown on undocumented migrants. Following the BJP's significant win in West Bengal, home to nearly 100 million residents, the state government has begun a crackdown to identify undocumented Muslim migrants, announcing plans for holding centres to detain and eventually deport them back to Bangladesh. Consequently, thousands have been apprehended across West Bengal in the past two weeks, either sent to detention facilities or escorted to the border by security forces for “pushback” into Bangladesh. During a press briefing in Kolkata, Chief Minister Adhikari stated that nearly 5,000 Bangladeshi nationals have been deported, adding that arrangements are underway to deport an additional 836 individuals currently held in the centres.

She is one of the numerous Bangladeshis who have convened over the past two days at Hakimpur in West Bengal, India, as reported by police, seeking to return home amid heightened enforcement measures introduced by the new state administration. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party secured victory in West Bengal with a promise to "detect, delete and deport" undocumented migrants. Border officials have reported an increase in crossings, with many attempting to navigate a nearby river under the cover of night. Many individuals find themselves in a precarious situation, caught between Indian pressures to depart and Bangladesh's unwillingness to receive them without formal citizenship verification.

Huge crowds of alleged illegal Bangladeshi migrants have begun flocking to multiple border points in West Bengal amid the BJP government’s newly launched "detect, delete and deport" policy, with scenes emerging from North 24 Parganas and Malda.[1] At the Hakimpur checkpoint in North 24 Parganas' Basirhat subdivision, more than a hundred Bangladeshi men and women assembled on Tuesday morning seeking to return across the international border.[1] Several of them had allegedly been living illegally in different parts of West Bengal and arrived at the checkpoint following recent government announcements regarding deportation and the setting up of holding centres for foreign nationals.[1]

India has deported nearly 5,000 undocumented Bangladeshi nationals from West Bengal in just over a month, following a major crackdown on illegal immigration.[8] According to officials cited in the segment, the deportations are part of the new state government’s "detect, delete, deport" campaign against illegal Bangladeshi migrants in West Bengal.[8] The report focuses on deportations from India to Bangladesh, not on migrants moving from West Bengal to other Indian states.[8]

India on Thursday (May 7, 2026) called for Bangladesh’s cooperation over repatriation of illegal immigrants in India, pressing for nationality verification. At least 2,980 “illegal” Bangladeshi immigrants were sent back since March through several outposts in West Bengal, 1,930 of them since the BJP came to power in the state, according to officials cited in the report. “These comments must be seen in the context of the core issue of repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis from India. This requires cooperation from Bangladesh,” the Indian foreign ministry spokesperson said.

The reported removal of approximately 5,000 undocumented Bangladeshi individuals from West Bengal, which shares a border with Bangladesh, marks a significant challenge for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in fulfilling its pledge to "detect, delete and deport" following its substantial electoral win in the state last month.[1] According to Suvendu Adhikari, West Bengal's chief minister, around 4,800 individuals have already been deported, with an additional 836 still in custody.[1] In the weeks following the election, officials instructed districts to establish holding facilities for undocumented Bangladeshis and ethnic Rohingyas awaiting verification and deportation.[1]

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said nearly 4,800 illegal immigrants have been sent back to Bangladesh from detention centres and holding facilities along the border. Today, May 5, 2026, the India-Bangladesh border is experiencing a massive wave of return migration, with thousands of people crossing back into Bangladesh following the BJP’s landslide victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections. Officials quoted in the clip said the majority of those returning are undocumented Bangladeshi nationals who had been living and working in West Bengal and other Indian states.

India's ruling Hindu-nationalist party has ordered detention centres for undocumented Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in West Bengal state, sparking fears of mass expulsions.[6] The directive instructs local officials to establish holding centres for detainees who are awaiting deportation, as part of an extensive initiative aimed at addressing illegal immigration.[6] The administration has upheld its "detect, delete, deport" strategy, asserting that the individuals being targeted are migrants residing unlawfully within the nation.[6]

These comments must be seen in the context of the core issue of repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis from India.[9] This requires cooperation from Bangladesh.[9] Over 2,862 cases of nationality verification are pending with Bangladesh, some for over five years, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a weekly briefing.[9]

In the past two days, hundreds of Bangladeshis have converged on Hakimpur in India’s West Bengal, as reported by police, with the hope of returning home amid tightening enforcement by the newly established state government. The Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, which recently gained control in West Bengal, pledged to "detect, delete, and deport" undocumented immigrants. Border authorities have noted an uptick in crossings, with many trying to navigate a nearby river under the cover of night, but the full extent of this migration remains uncertain.

Bangladeshis Deported From India 2026: Holding centres established in all districts of the state in May, he says. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said around 5,000 Bangladeshi nationals had been deported from India, mostly through border points in West Bengal, after his government launched a “detect, delete and deport” policy targeting illegal immigrants. He added that holding centres for suspected illegal foreigners had been set up in every district of West Bengal to facilitate verification and deportation.

Thousands of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are leaving India through various border checkposts in West Bengal since Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has begun.[5] The post, citing Press Trust of India (PTI) as the image source, describes an outflow of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants *from India to Bangladesh* via West Bengal border checkposts in late 2025, linked to the electoral roll revision process.[5] It does not mention migrants relocating from West Bengal to other Indian states.[5]

BSF reports a surge in illegal Bangladeshi nationals leaving India through West Bengal. The state, already burdened by illegal immigration, has seen hundreds of undocumented Bangladeshi nationals gathered near the border as authorities intensified action under a new “detect, delete and deport” policy. The rush began after the state opened holding centres for suspected illegal immigrants, triggering fear among migrant communities working across different parts of Bengal. Many people, worried about detention or deportation, voluntarily moved towards border points to return to Bangladesh. Officials said those detained are being verified by security forces before being handed over to the Border Guard Bangladesh for repatriation.

The first recent case of push-in was recorded on May 7, 2025. Since then, many people living in India have been labelled as 'illegal Bangladeshi' and pushed across the border into Bangladesh.[9] The article describes a pattern of Indian authorities taking Bengali-speaking Muslims to border points and attempting to force them into Bangladesh, leaving some stranded in the "zero line" area when Bangladesh refuses them entry.[9] The focus is on cross-border pushbacks and expulsions, not on internal migration from West Bengal to other Indian states.[9]

India's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ordered authorities to step up enforcement on illegal migration after winning power in West Bengal in May 2026, but a clip circulating online does not show migrants forced from their homes in the state. The video has spread with similar claims elsewhere on X and Facebook, but it is in fact filmed in Bangladesh and not related to the BJP's announcement. The fact check notes that while enforcement in West Bengal has intensified, the specific footage being shared is miscaptioned and depicts an eviction drive in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Thousands of Muslim Bangladeshis have been detained or deported under West Bengal's new BJP government.[7] The reel states that "illegal Bangladeshi Muslims have been deported from West Bengal to Bangladesh" as part of the state’s immigration and identification drive.[7] It visually documents detention facilities and processions of detainees being moved toward border areas for deportation, again showing cross-border removal rather than movement to other Indian states.[7]

After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to victory in key elections in the West Bengal state in May 2026, two videos circulated on social media with false claims they showed Bangladeshi migrants fleeing the region. AFP’s fact-checking found that neither video was filmed in the aftermath of the poll — one video was taken during a Muslim religious gathering months ago, while the other was recorded in Bangladesh and unrelated to India's regional elections. The videos shared online, however, do not depict Bangladeshi migrants fleeing West Bengal state, despite captions claiming they showed an exodus of illegal immigrants leaving the state after the election result.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has claimed that 4,800 illegal immigrants have been sent back to Bangladesh, while 836 more are awaiting deportation.[10] In his statement, circulated on social media, Adhikari frames this as part of the "detect, delete, deport" campaign targeting illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the state.[10] The claim concerns returning migrants to Bangladesh, rather than their movement from West Bengal to other Indian states.[10]

A dramatic reverse exodus is unfolding along the India-Bangladesh border, where thousands of unauthorised Bangladeshi immigrants are suddenly fleeing West Bengal. According to the BSF, more than 1,500 undocumented migrants crossed back into Bangladesh from a single checkpoint in just 15 days—one of the largest surges recorded in recent India-Bangladesh border updates. The panic began after the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in West Bengal, a verification drive aimed at identifying unauthorised voters ahead of upcoming elections, which triggered this reverse exodus of illegal immigrants leaving West Bengal and other Indian states where they had resided.

Large groups of alleged illegal Bangladeshi migrants have gathered at border points in West Bengal amid the state government's newly launched “detect, delete and deport” drive.[2] Many reportedly reached checkpoints in North 24 Parganas and Malda seeking to return to Bangladesh following announcements on deportation and the creation of holding centres for suspected illegal immigrants.[2] The state has begun setting up detention facilities, with Malda becoming the first district to operationalise one as authorities intensify verification and deportation efforts.[2]

Large groups of alleged illegal Bangladeshi migrants have gathered at border points in West Bengal amid the state government's newly launched “detect, delete and deport” drive. Many reportedly reached checkpoints in North 24 Parganas and Malda seeking to return to Bangladesh following announcements on deportation and the creation of holding centres for suspected illegal immigrants. A commenter on the post claimed, without official sourcing, that "95% are moving towards MP, UP, Odisha, Andhra, Karnataka, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal and Uttarakhand" and "Only 5% going back," but this assertion appears as a user comment rather than verified reporting.

A large number of individuals are reportedly gathering near border areas in West Bengal, drawing attention to migration patterns and cross-border movement between India and Bangladesh. Hundreds of suspected undocumented Bangladeshi nationals have gathered at key crossing points like the Hakimpur checkpoint in Basirhat subdivision of North 24 Parganas. Long queues are snaking along the border as people, many claiming to have worked and lived in places like Kolkata, Howrah, and other districts, rush to return to Bangladesh voluntarily. Over 100 were seen at one checkpoint alone on the 26th and 27th of May, with reports suggesting thousands more moving across border districts like Malda and Murshidabad in recent weeks.

A growing number of Bangladeshis are gathering at border check posts in West Bengal as the state government implements its "detect, delete and deport" policy targeting illegal immigrants.[10] The video report explains that many of those at the checkpoints say they have been living in India for years but now fear detention and deportation.[10] Authorities have started setting up holding centres to process these individuals before repatriation.[10]

Alleged illegal migrants are seen moving towards border areas as West Bengal launches an intensified deportation and verification drive.[3] Multiple reports suggest heightened activity near border districts after authorities began identifying and detaining undocumented migrants.[3] Security forces have reportedly increased surveillance and monitoring to prevent illegal crossings amid the crackdown.[3]

In Indian states that border Bangladesh, like West Bengal and Assam, undocumented migrants have formed an integral part of the informal workforce in sectors such as construction and domestic work. Recent political changes and enforcement measures have increased scrutiny of these communities. Reports describe undocumented Bangladeshis living not only in West Bengal but also in other Indian states, some of whom are now attempting to return to Bangladesh in response to crackdowns. Human rights organisations have raised concerns that migrants who previously moved from West Bengal to other Indian states for work may also face pressure to leave as broader national policies against “illegal Bangladeshis” are enforced.