- The BJP government claims a move targeting illegal migrants.
- Critics say the measures reflect a tough stance on immigration.
- The order raises fears among minorities about arbitrary deportations.
India’s ruling Hindu nationalist party has ordered detention centers for undocumented Bangladeshis and Rohingya in the state of West Bengal, sparking fears among minorities that it could lead to arbitrary deportations.
The directive comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won power in the eastern state for the first time since the country’s independence in 1947.
The order calls on local authorities to set up “retention centers” for “apprehended foreigners” awaiting deportation as part of a wider crackdown on illegal migration.
The government has defended its “detect, delete, deport” principle, saying those targeted are migrants who are in the country illegally.
“Illegal migration has security and socio-economic consequences that are often far beyond the reach of law enforcement,” read the order issued last week.
The decision has fueled anxiety among West Bengal’s roughly 35 million Muslims, many of whom share linguistic and cultural ties with neighboring Bangladesh.
Critics say the measure reflects the government’s long-standing hard line on immigration, with top BJP members in the past referring to Bangladeshi migrants as “termites” and “infiltrators”.
The party has pursued similar policies in the neighboring state of Assam, where it has overseen extensive identification drives and large-scale detentions.
Rights activists say hundreds have been deported to Bangladesh from Assam without due process, often based on ethnic profiling.
Many of them have reportedly been pushed across the border at gunpoint, according to activists and lawyers who have challenged the measures in court.
They argue that the policies disproportionately affect the Muslim population by conflating religious identity with illegal migration.
The planned centers in West Bengal have raised particular concerns because of the state’s porous border with Bangladesh and its long history of migration.
The inclusion of Rohingya refugees in the order has also drawn criticism.
India has previously been accused by humanitarian groups of forcibly returning Rohingya to Myanmar, despite the ongoing conflict there, in potential violation of international norms on refugee protection.
Adding to Muslim unrest, the BJP-led government in Assam on Monday introduced legislation to amend personal religious laws, which critics say could further marginalize minorities.
