—Rakib Al Hasan—

In a region already burdened by unresolved border disputes, demographic anxieties and fragile peace, India has introduced a dangerous new chapter in its neighbourhood diplomacy.

The recent surge in “push-in” operations—where Indian authorities forcibly expel alleged illegal migrants, predominantly Bengali-speaking Muslims, into Bangladesh without due process, verification or any diplomatic consultation—signals a policy of deliberate coercion, not a border control measure.

These expulsions often carried out under the cover of darkness, blindfolding individuals and flying them across Indian states before dumping them at Bangladesh’s doorstep expose a systemic erosion of both moral and legal standards in the region.

The victims, in many cases, are not even foreign nationals but Indian citizens—Bengali-speaking Muslims from West Bengal, Assam and Rajasthan, some carrying valid voter IDs, Aadhaar cards and decades-long residence histories. In other cases, Rohingya refugees, already marginalised and vulnerable, have been pushed in despite holding verified UNHCR documents that should have protected them under international law.

What emerges from this policy is a chilling picture: a state weaponising borders to project internal insecurities outward, an administration turning the bodies of the marginalised into political tokens in a high-stakes gamble of nationalism.

The timing is no coincidence. Narendra Modi’s government, grappling with economic stagnation, rising unemployment and diplomatic setbacks in Kashmir and with China, has found in Bangladesh an easier target—a softer punching bag to showcase “strongman” governance.

Modi’s Kashmir strategy has not only faltered against Pakistan but has also backfired domestically, alienating segments of his own population. Facing criticism for the mishandling of the region, along with rising public discontent over economic issues, the government has turned to its oldest playbook: stir communal anxieties, fuel anti-Muslim sentiment and manufacture a narrative of infiltration to galvanise electoral support ahead of upcoming state elections.

The push-in policy is not an isolated act of border management—it is a cynical political strategy designed to create an external enemy and distract from internal failures.

This is not governance; it is demographic engineering masquerading as national security and it bears striking resemblance to the Rohingya crisis that unfolded across Myanmar’s borders. There, too, a state declared its Muslim minorities as threats, stripped them of citizenship and forcibly pushed them into a neighbouring country under the pretext of national interest. The echoes are unmistakable—and they are dangerous.

India’s push-in policy is not just a moral failure but a direct assault on international norms and legal frameworks. The principle of non-refoulement, embedded in the 1951 Refugee Convention and customary international law, explicitly forbids the expulsion of individuals to countries where they risk persecution, yet India has brazenly ignored this standard.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which India is a signatory to, guarantee due process and protection from arbitrary detention and deportation—yet those detained and expelled under this policy often receive no hearing, no legal counsel and no chance to prove their citizenship.

It is a grotesque spectacle: a state that once prided itself on offering asylum to Tibetans, Sri Lankan Tamils and Afghans now expelling vulnerable populations with no regard for law, humanity or the impact on its neighbour.

And the global reaction? A deafening, complicated silence. Imagine if any other country began rounding up Spanish-speaking citizens, blindfolding them, and dumping them across a border into Mexico—there would be global condemnation, sanctions, perhaps even UN resolutions. But when India does it to Bangladesh, the world shrugs.

The victims are poor, Muslim and from the Global South. The perpetrator is India, a key Western partner in the Indo-Pacific, seen as a bulwark against China. Human rights outrage, it seems, is a currency selectively spent and the message is clear: some lives, some borders, matter less.

This silence is not only shameful but dangerous. India’s actions are not isolated incidents; they set a precedent. If India can forcibly externalise its internal demographic challenges without consequence, what prevents others from following suit?

Will Myanmar resume its Rohingya expulsions? Could Pakistan begin pushing Afghans across the Durand Line? Could Sri Lanka restart its deportations of Tamils? The region, already fraught with tensions, cannot afford this spiral. South Asia’s stability rests on the fragile foundation of mutual respect, sovereignty and non-interference.

India’s push-in policy erodes that foundation, replacing diplomacy with coercion, negotiation with force and shared interests with raw demographic politics. For Bangladesh, the costs are immediate and severe.

Already hosting over a million Rohingya refugees, Bangladesh now faces an influx of people it did not ask for and cannot sustain. The social fabric in border areas is stretched thin. Reports from Sylhet, Kurigram and Shyamnagar detail scenes of chaos: families arriving barefoot, women weeping, children dehydrated, elderly men collapsed from exhaustion. Some of the deportees were tortured, their belongings stolen, their lives uprooted without explanation.

Bangladesh’s muted diplomatic response—a few letters, a press statement or two—betrays a painful asymmetry. Dhaka knows it stands in an unequal relationship: economically dependent, diplomatically cautious and wary of antagonising a larger neighbour. But appeasement is not a strategy. Silence in the face of aggression only emboldens further violations. Bangladesh must act decisively.

Alongside strengthening border surveillance and refusing entry to any individual not processed through bilateral mechanisms, Bangladesh must exert counter-pressure on India. There are lots of Indians working illegally in Bangladesh—labourers, technicians, informal workers across sectors. If Bangladesh prepares a list of these individuals, initiates a process to document their status and begins deportation proceedings, India will be forced to rethink its push-in strategy.

A clear message must be sent: Bangladesh is not a dumping ground for India’s political anxieties. The push-in policy is not a one-way street; reciprocity is a valid tool in diplomacy when dealing with a larger, more assertive neighbour.

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The writer is a physician, author, activist and international award-winning youth leader. He could be reached at [email protected]