At least 2,200 people were pushed into Bangladesh from India in 2025 after being labeled as “Bangladeshi,” according to reports in Indian media. The move follows repeated political claims by India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government around so-called “Bangladeshi infiltrators,” a term frequently used in political speeches and election campaigns throughout the year.
A report published by Times of India stated that the Delhi Police carried out a record number of expulsions in 2025, acting on instructions from India’s Ministry of Home Affairs to identify and remove individuals allegedly residing in the country without valid documentation. This figure marks a sharp increase compared to previous years, when 14 people were pushed back in 2024, five in 2023, and 50 in 2022.
Indian authorities claimed that those pushed into Bangladesh were living in different parts of Delhi using forged documents, including fake Aadhaar cards and voter ID cards. However, neither the Delhi Police nor Indian media outlets have made public any verifiable evidence confirming the nationality of those expelled.
There have been multiple documented cases of Indian Bengali-speaking Muslims being wrongly identified as “Bangladeshi” and forcibly pushed across the border. Among them is Sonali Khatun, a resident of Birbhum district in West Bengal, who was pushed into Bangladesh along with five family members despite holding Aadhaar identification. After nearly four months and following a court order, she returned to India earlier this month. Another case involves Sakina Bibi, a resident of Nalbari district in Assam, who was detained by police, went missing, and was later found in Dhaka before being imprisoned in Kashimpur jail. Court intervention later led to her release.
The cases have raised serious concerns about due process, identity verification, and the risk of wrongful detention and cross-border displacement faced by marginalized communities under intensified immigration enforcement.
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