Staff Correspondent:

After staying safely in India for over nine months following the fall of the Awami League government, AL leaders who fled to the neighbouring country are now facing growing pressure due to India’s strict stance against illegal residents.

Over 100,000 AL leaders and activists currently taking refugee in various Indian states are reportedly living in extreme uncertainty.

Recently, the Indian government has ordered all undocumented foreigners to leave the country. As part of this, Indian authorities have been detaining Bangladeshis living illegally and pushing them back across the border.

Though AL leaders have not yet been affected by these pushbacks, sources indicate it is only a matter of time before they too face the same action.

Indian law enforcement agencies are reportedly willing to allow a two-to-three-month grace period for these AL members to seek alternative safe havens. However, a large-scale crackdown is expected to intensify from August.

The Indian government has already begun pressuring fugitive AL leaders to leave the country.

Displaced Awami League leaders have taken shelter in West Bengal, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and several other Indian states. Meanwhile, on 10 May, the interim government of Bangladesh imposed a ban on all Awami League activities until further notice, making their return even more uncertain.

Indian authorities have made it clear that they will not tolerate the presence of undocumented foreigners.

Some fugitive AL leaders have said they were advised to seek asylum in other countries if returning to Bangladesh poses security risks.

A number of central AL leaders currently in India said the situation in Bangladesh is still unsafe for their return and that their lives remain at risk. Leaving India without an alternative destination could spell disaster for them.

Around 50 senior leaders have already managed to move to the United States or Europe. The rest are also trying to find a way to migrate to Western countries, but none have shown the courage to return to Bangladesh.

Following the events of 5 August, AL leaders from various levels sought refuge in different Indian states, hoping to ensure their safety. Many are staying with their families. India initially allowed their entry, including that of former Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, who also took shelter there.

Sources said that around 143,000 AL leaders—including central committee members, MPs, ministers, junior ministers, leaders of affiliated organisations, and district and upazila-level figures—have taken refugee in India. Some high-ranking bureaucrats have also crossed the border.

Now, with growing pressure to leave India, all of them are gripped by deep uncertainty.