A recent report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York-based international human rights organization, has brought global attention to the alleged harassment, persecution, and unlawful deportation of Bengali-speaking Indian citizens in several states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The report echoes concerns raised by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has condemned the BJP’s actions as “linguistic terrorism” in a post on X, accusing the party of targeting Bengali-speaking individuals, including those with valid Indian citizenship, in a systematic campaign of discrimination.
Mamata Banerjee has been vocal in her opposition to the BJP’s actions, accusing the party of branding Bengali-speaking individuals as “Bangladeshi” based solely on their language. In a post on X, Banerjee expressed her outrage, stating, “The internationally reputed and New York-based multi-country NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has also now highlighted the issue of harassment, persecution, and illegal deportation of Bengali-speaking people of India by the BJP governments in various States… Shame!! Now, even international human rights organisations have started taking note of the linguistic terrorism unleashed in India. This must stop at once!!”
Banerjee’s remarks came after a series of protests, including a massive rally in Kolkata on July 16, 2025, where she led thousands of supporters to condemn the persecution of Bengali-speaking migrant workers. “Is speaking Bengali a crime?” she had asked. She, during her July 21 ‘Shahid Diwas’ rally, had further alleged that over 1,000 Bengali-speaking individuals have been detained in states like Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan, with some forcibly deported despite possessing valid identity documents.
Human Rights Watch Report
HRW’s report, released on July 24, 2025, details a pattern of arbitrary detentions and expulsions of ethnic Bengali Muslims, many of whom are Indian citizens, in BJP-ruled states including Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Delhi. The organisation interviewed 18 affected individuals and their families in June, uncovering cases where authorities, including the Border Security Force (BSF), allegedly beat detainees, destroyed identity documents, and coerced them into admitting Bangladeshi nationality. In some instances, individuals were forcibly expelled across the India-Bangladesh border without due process, in violation of domestic and international human rights standards. Elaine Pearson, HRW’s Asia Director, stated, “India’s ruling BJP is fuelling discrimination by arbitrarily expelling Bengali Muslims from the country, including Indian citizens. The authorities’ claims that they are managing irregular immigration are unconvincing given their disregard for due process rights, domestic guarantees, and international human rights standards.” The crackdown intensified following a directive from the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs in May 2025, issued after a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 Hindu tourists. The ministry ordered states to identify and deport undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants within 30 days. However, critics, including HRW, argue that this directive has been misused to target Bengali-speaking migrant workers, particularly from West Bengal and Assam, regardless of their citizenship status.
While precise figures on detentions remain unclear due to the lack of transparency from authorities, reports indicate significant numbers of Bengali-speaking individuals have been affected. In Odisha’s Jharsuguda district alone, 444 suspected “Bangladeshi nationals” were detained in June 2025, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) claiming that at least 200 were migrant workers from West Bengal. In Assam, at least 300 individuals were expelled to Bangladesh, many of whom were later readmitted after proving their Indian citizenship.
HRW’s findings suggest that hundreds of ethnic Bengali Muslims have been expelled since May 2025, with authorities targeting impoverished migrant workers in particular. In one case, Nazimuddin Sheikh, a 34-year-old migrant worker from West Bengal, was detained in Mumbai, had his identity documents destroyed, and was beaten by BSF officials who forced him to cross into Bangladesh. Sheikh, an Indian citizen, was among dozens later readmitted after legal intervention.
The Assam government’s Foreigners Tribunals, quasi-judicial bodies tasked with verifying citizenship, have declared 165,992 individuals as “irregular immigrants” as of January 2025, with Bengali Muslims disproportionately affected. These tribunals have been criticised for their lack of transparency and discriminatory practices, often denying citizenship based on minor discrepancies in documentation. Haryana’s Gurugram authorities detained 237 migrant workers, primarily from districts like Malda, Nadia, and Murshidabad, suspecting them of holding fraudulent Indian documents. In Rajasthan, one individual who hails from Bengal’s Maida was reportedly first arrested, kept behind bars for 2 months and later deported to Bangladesh, despite possessing “valid identification” including a birth certificate.
