Key Takeaways
• India deported over 600 people to Bangladesh during Operation Push-Back in May 2025, sparking bilateral tensions.
• Reports include forced returns of Bangladeshi nationals, Indian Muslims, Rohingya refugees, and stateless Bengali speakers.
• Bangladesh claims push-backs violate international law; UN condemns India’s expulsion of Rohingya and urges humane treatment.
Tensions between India 🇮🇳 and Bangladesh 🇧🇩 have risen sharply in May 2025 because of a wave of forced returns known as “Operation Push-Back.” This operation, driven by India’s new immigration policy, targets undocumented migrants and has led to repeated border confrontations and fierce protests from Bangladesh. Here, we break down what has happened, who’s affected, and what it could mean for both countries and the wider region.
What Is Operation Push-Back?
Operation Push-Back refers to a set of deportations and forced returns that India 🇮🇳 began carrying out on its eastern border with Bangladesh 🇧🇩 in early May 2025. India’s government launched this operation to crack down on those it considers to be in the country without proper papers. In short, Indian authorities are picking up people they say are illegal immigrants and sending them over the border to Bangladesh 🇧🇩, sometimes without warning or agreement from the Bangladesh 🇧🇩 side.
These actions have come at the same time as another campaign, “Operation Sindoor,” focused on India’s 🇮🇳 western border.
How Many Have Been Pushed Back and Where?
The official numbers point to hundreds of people being forced across the border into Bangladesh 🇧🇩 over a short period. The deportations have taken place at several points along the border, including:
- Between May 4 and May 15, 2025: About 318 people were forced back across the border through five districts: Khagrachhari, Satkhira, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, and Meherpur. These are known border areas and have seen returnees arrive without proper coordination with Bangladeshi 🇧🇩 authorities.
- On May 4, 2025: India 🇮🇳 flew 300 undocumented migrants in two Air India planes to Agartala, Tripura. From there, these people were taken across the border by ground transport.
- On May 6, 2025: 66 more people were sent back through different points along the Tripura border, mainly into the Khagrachari district in Bangladesh 🇧🇩.
- On May 9, 2025: 78 individuals were dropped on Mandarbaria Char, a small and remote island area in the Sundarbans. This is a difficult area to access and is known for being isolated from regular border crossings.
- On May 14, 2025: Indian 🇮🇳 authorities transferred 148 people from Jodhpur to Kolkata, from where they were deported to Bangladesh 🇧🇩.
These push-backs are not just happening in one spot—they are spread across many border districts, making it harder for Bangladesh 🇧🇩 to respond.
Who Is Being Deported?
Most of those being pushed back are described as Bangladeshi nationals. However, as reported by VisaVerge.com, the groups actually include a mix of people:
- Bangladeshi nationals who may have crossed into India 🇮🇳 for work or family reasons
- Indian Muslims, who may get caught up in the operation due to unclear documentation
- Rohingya refugees, who originally fled violence from Myanmar 🇲🇲 and had sought shelter in India 🇮🇳
- Stateless Bengali speakers, people who do not have recognized citizenship in any country
Many of these people were reportedly blindfolded, experienced harsh or rough treatment, and some showed physical injuries or signs of abuse upon arrival. These accounts come from border reports and eyewitness sources.
What Is India’s Position?
India 🇮🇳 says it’s acting for national security and following a new, tougher approach to illegal immigration. According to a spokesperson from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Prime Minister Modi made it clear to Bangladesh’s interim government head, Mohammad Yunus, during the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok that India 🇮🇳 views the Indo-Bangladesh border as “inviolable.” This means India 🇮🇳 will not allow its border to be crossed without permission and will take “firm measures” against any cases of illegal immigration.
Indian authorities have carried out large identification and detention drives:
- Gujarat’s Ahmedabad and Surat: On April 26, police detained 1,000 people they suspected to be Bangladeshi nationals living without proper documents.
- Rajasthan: Around the same time, another 1,000 suspected Bangladeshis were identified for investigation and possible deportation.
India 🇮🇳 says these actions are necessary to manage security risks and deal fairly with anyone staying in the country without permission.
Bangladesh’s Response: Protests and Accusations
Bangladesh 🇧🇩 has strongly objected to India’s actions, calling them unfair and against both international law and accepted diplomatic practices. Bangladesh 🇧🇩 officials say the deportations are being done without agreement—what they call “unilateral push-ins”—and that people should only be returned through official channels after checks and discussions.
Bangladesh’s Actions So Far:
- Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB): The BGB has increased patrols and issued a “high alert” at all border points. Teams are watching for any new arrivals and working to prevent illegal push-ins.
- Protest to India: On May 9, 2025, Bangladesh 🇧🇩 sent India 🇮🇳 a formal diplomatic note of protest.
- Flag Meetings: The BGB has asked for formal “flag meetings” with the Border Security Force (BSF) of India. These are border talks meant to resolve disputes.
- Local Resistance: People living near the border in Bangladesh 🇧🇩, such as those in Bijoynagar upazila (Brahmanbaria district), have joined BGB officers in stopping further forced returns.
Key Bangladeshi officials have spoken out:
- National Security Advisor Khalilur Rahman says all deportations must go through “formal channels” and with cooperation, not by force.
- BGB head Major General Mohammad Asrafuzzaman Siddiqui has called the push-backs “disgraceful” and a “violation of human rights.”
International Response: Concern Over Human Rights
The United Nations has joined the debate, mostly because of reports about Rohingya refugees. One UN human rights expert started an investigation after hearing that Rohingya refugees were pushed off an Indian navy ship into the Andaman Sea. The expert called these actions “unconscionable” and “unacceptable.” The same expert also condemned India’s practice of expelling Rohingya from its territory, calling it “outrageous.”
The attention of the UN means the world is now watching how India 🇮🇳 and Bangladesh 🇧🇩 manage not just their border, but also the safety and rights of anyone caught in the middle.
For those who want to read more about international human rights law and the UN’s role, you can visit the OHCHR official page.
How Are Push-Backs Carried Out?
Reports suggest that many people being deported are picked up from inside India 🇮🇳, often in cities like Gujarat or Rajasthan, taken by plane or train to border areas, and then forced—sometimes at night and under tight security—across the border into Bangladesh 🇧🇩. In some cases, they are dropped in hard-to-reach places like remote islands, making it even more difficult for Bangladeshi authorities to help them.
There have been claims that those being returned are sometimes physically mistreated, blindfolded, or threatened. While India 🇮🇳 insists it is simply enforcing its law, Bangladesh and international groups argue these practices do not meet the standards for humane treatment.
The Dilemma for Bangladesh
Bangladesh 🇧🇩 is facing a tough situation. Officials there say many of those being forced across the border are not Bangladeshi citizens but may be Indian Muslims, Rohingya, or even stateless people with no proof of their citizenship. Returning these people, Bangladesh 🇧🇩 worries, could lead to even more problems—such as adding to the country’s own refugee burden or creating stateless populations with nowhere to go.
By increasing its border guards and pushing back—sometimes literally—against the push-backs, Bangladesh is trying to slow, stop, or at least control the flow of people being forced back in.
What Are the Legal and Human Rights Concerns?
The main question is whether India’s push-back policy is legal under international law. Normally, deportations should be:
- Conducted through official channels (with both countries agreeing on the facts and procedures)
- Fair to those returned, making sure no one is left in danger or denied their rights
- Respectful of international human rights standards
Bangladesh 🇧🇩 and the United Nations say the current push-backs break these rules. For example, people are being forced over the border without a regular process and, in some cases, without knowing whether they are genuinely Bangladeshi. Bangladesh 🇧🇩 says this is not only wrong, but also a way of shifting one country’s problem to another.
Local Impact: Scenes at the Border
On the ground, these actions have direct consequences:
- Whole families may be separated if some members are taken back while others are left behind.
- People left in remote or dangerous border areas may be exposed to hunger, sickness, or crime.
- Tensions at the border could spark violence or accidental injuries, especially with local villagers now joining border guards to prevent push-ins.
- Trust between India 🇮🇳 and Bangladesh 🇧🇩 is weakening, which could affect trade, jobs, and everyday life for people living along the border.
Differences in View: Both Sides’ Arguments
India’s Argument:
– Every country has the right to decide who stays within its borders.
– Large numbers of undocumented migrants put pressure on jobs, housing, and security.
– The push-backs are needed to protect the country’s interests and enforce immigration laws.
Bangladesh’s Argument:
– Forced returns without agreement are not acceptable.
– The pushed-back people are not always Bangladeshi—some might be stateless or from India 🇮🇳 itself.
– These moves hurt relations and make life harder for communities already dealing with poverty.
International voices mostly side with Bangladesh and push for solutions that meet international norms.
What Could Happen Next?
There is no sign yet of the operation ending soon. Indian authorities have suggested they may continue, or even step up, the operation if they find more people they believe to be illegal migrants. Meanwhile, Bangladesh 🇧🇩 is tightening its border security and calling, both in private talks and public statements, for India 🇮🇳 to stop what it calls unilateral actions.
This creates a cycle where people are caught between the two countries: neither side wants them, and each blames the other for the crisis. Local protest and growing friction could make it harder for the two neighbors to cooperate on other issues.
Long-Term Risks and Questions
Analysts warn that unless India 🇮🇳 and Bangladesh 🇧🇩 find a way to work together, Operation Push-Back will keep fueling disputes and create new kinds of human suffering on the border. The bigger worry is that stateless populations can become trapped, with no way to claim legal rights in any country.
If current trends continue, there could be:
- More public protests and border clashes
- Pressure on Bangladesh’s services, such as shelters, food aid, and policing
- Calls for international help to protect vulnerable people, like the Rohingya
- More distrust and blame between the two governments
For Readers Seeking Official Information
If you want to follow how both countries officially process cross-border migration, the Bangladesh Border Guard and India’s Ministry of Home Affairs offer updates, guidelines, and press releases on their responsibilities and latest actions.
In Summary
Operation Push-Back has quickly grown into one of the most intense points of conflict between India 🇮🇳 and Bangladesh 🇧🇩 in 2025. While India says it’s acting to enforce immigration law against illegal entrants, Bangladesh objects to the way these deportations are being carried out—often calling them illegal, harsh, and in violation of international law.
With the United Nations and local communities raising alarms, and with increasing numbers of people—including families and stateless refugees—being left in a dangerous limbo, the issue demands a careful, humane, and cooperative solution.
Both India and Bangladesh must balance their security and economic needs with their responsibilities under international law and basic human decency. As the situation continues to develop, it’s important for readers to stay informed from trusted sources like VisaVerge.com and official government channels to understand the real impact of Operation Push-Back on people’s lives on both sides of the border.
Learn Today
Operation Push-Back → A series of forced deportations by India of undocumented migrants, mainly to Bangladesh, starting in May 2025.
Rohingya refugees → An ethnic Muslim minority from Myanmar, many fleeing persecution, often facing statelessness and living in neighboring countries.
Stateless Bengali speakers → Individuals who speak Bengali but are not recognized as citizens by any country, leaving them without legal rights or protection.
Flag meetings → Formal negotiations between border forces of two countries, used to resolve disputes or manage border-related incidents.
Unilateral push-ins → Forced cross-border returns conducted by one country without the agreement or coordination of the receiving country.
This Article in a Nutshell
Operation Push-Back, initiated by India in May 2025, forcibly returned hundreds of undocumented migrants, including Bangladeshis and Rohingya, causing humanitarian and diplomatic crises. Bangladesh protests these unilateral deportations, while the UN expresses concern. The situation highlights complex regional migration and raises serious legal, ethical, and human rights questions.
— By VisaVerge.com
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