How will Bangladesh respond to India’s ‘push-in’ strategy?

Since the interim government took office, tensions with India have given rise to a new and troubling challenge along the border: the forced repatriation of individuals, known as "push-ins", from Indian territory into Bangladesh.

With no viable option for reciprocal measures, Bangladesh finds itself in a diplomatic bind.

Foreign policy analysts say the issue must be resolved through dialogue between the two countries. There is, they argue, no alternative.

They warn that if Bangladesh were to retaliate by pushing these individuals back into India, it would not resolve the crisis. Instead, it could worsen tensions and trigger a humanitarian emergency.

Former ambassador M Humayun Kabir told bdnews24.com, “We could push them back, but what would that achieve? It would only increase the suffering of these people. That’s not a solution, it’s merely a reaction. So, barring diplomatic engagement and direct discussions, I don’t see any other viable course of action.”

Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain added, “Yes, push-ins from India are happening. But realistically, it's not something we can stop. We're communicating with India through formal letters and requesting that any repatriation follow established procedures.”

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has said regular flag meetings are taking place between its personnel and the Indian Border Security Force (BSF).

WHAT SPARKED THE LATEST WAVE OF PUSH-INS?

On Apr 27, police in the Indian state of Gujarat detained 1,024 Bangladeshis, including women and children, in the cities of Ahmedabad and Surat, according to Indian daily The Hindustan Times.

The following day, Gujarat’s police chief Vikas Sahay told a press conference, “Under the direction of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, a single-night operation resulted in the arrest of 890 Bangladeshis in Ahmedabad and 134 in Surat. The crackdown was necessary to deal with illegal entry and criminal activity by undocumented migrants.”

Soon after the raids, India began forcibly relocating people toward the Bangladesh border.

Referring to the events, Home Affairs Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said at a recent event: “You’ve probably heard that there was a kind of Bengali colony in Gujarat. That’s been demolished, and this push-in trend started right afterward.”

Before that, on Apr 22, a militant attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, left 26 civilians dead. In response, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs launched nationwide raids to arrest suspected “illegal immigrants.”

Under this effort, Bangla-speaking individuals detained in various states have been flown to the Bangladesh border, handed over to the BSF, and then quietly pushed into Bangladesh at opportune moments.

INDIA HAS PUSHED IN 1,222 IN MAY ALONE

The first wave of push-ins took place on May 7, when 66 people were sent across the Matiranga and Panchhari borders in Khagrachhari district, and another 36 across the Kurigram border.

According to BGB headquarters, from May 7 to 31, a total of 1,222 people were forcibly pushed into Bangladesh by India, and the trend continues.

Breakdown by region:

· Khagrachhari: 132

· Sylhet: 115

· Moulvibazar: 380

· Habiganj: 41

· Sunamganj: 16

· Comilla: 13

· Feni: 52

· Kurigram: 93

· Lalmonirhat: 85

· Thakurgaon: 19

· Panchagarh: 32

· Dinajpur: 15

· Chapainawabganj: 17

· Kushtia: 9

· Meherpur: 30

· Chuadanga: 19

· Jhenaidah: 52

· Satkhira: 23

· Sundarbans (Mandarbaria forest area): 78

While no formal statement has been issued by the BGB, an officer from the force told bdnews24.com, “The BSF has carried out these push-ins without following due process. In response, we’ve lodged strong oral and written protests during multiple flag meetings. The BGB has increased intelligence surveillance and patrols and remains on high alert.”

WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY?

Forcibly sending individuals across borders without due process violates international norms and fails to provide asylum-seekers a chance to state their case.

Such actions are widely regarded as illegal under international migration and human rights law.

While “push-in” or “pushback” lacks a universally agreed definition, the practice is broadly considered a violation of the principle of non-refoulement, as enshrined in Article 33(1) of the 1951 Refugee Convention.

This principle prohibits returning individuals to a country where they may face threats to life or freedom. It is also incorporated into other human rights instruments.

Push-in procedures ignore any legal framework for repatriation, breaching this core tenet of international law.

Article 4 of Protocol No 4 to the European Convention on Human Rights explicitly prohibits the collective expulsion of refugees.

Rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly labelled push-ins at South Asia’s borders as serious human rights violations. These groups warn that such practices risk rendering individuals stateless while undermining legal norms.

In a 2018 report, Human Rights Watch said: “India’s pushback policy violates international law and exposes people to the risk of statelessness.”

WHY IS INDIA NOT FOLLOWING LEGAL REPATRIATION PROCEDURES?

Indian authorities and the BSF have never officially acknowledged conducting push-ins.

Despite repeated communication and flag meetings initiated by the BGB, Indian officials have neither confirmed nor justified the practice.

Bangladesh, for its part, has asked that repatriations be carried out through formal channels.

At a recent event, Home Advisor Jahangir Alam said: “We’ve made it clear to India that if any Bangladeshi nationals are found living in India, they should be sent back through proper channels. There are formal processes for this, just as we follow them when returning Indian citizens from Bangladesh.”

He added, “We don’t push anyone in. So we’ve asked them to do the same, to send people back properly, not by force.”

bdnews24.com also spoke to an Indian official involved in the process, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He explained that time constraints are a key reason for India’s reliance on push-ins.

“Legally, we must first identify undocumented Bangladeshis, then formally arrest them. After court proceedings and sentencing, we must initiate diplomatic processes for official repatriation. That takes time,” he said.

Meanwhile, India has formally informed Bangladesh that it has identified 2,461 individuals as Bangladeshi citizens and requested their repatriation.

On May 21, India sent a letter to Dhaka seeking cooperation in this process. Its Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that a list of names has been handed over to Bangladeshi authorities.

Media reports citing Indian government sources say at least 2,000 more individuals are being held near various points along the India-Bangladesh border.

According to The Indian Express, active deportation operations are under way not only in border states like Tripura, Meghalaya, and Assam, but also in Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.

HOW MUCH OF A SECURITY RISK?

On May 11, 11 women and children were pushed into Bangladesh through the Patgram border in Lalmonirhat and later detained by locals, who handed them over to the BGB.

According to the locals, the group had been walking toward Patgram town after crossing the border when they arrived in the Notun Bazar area. Suspicious residents questioned them, and the group admitted they had been forcibly sent from India.

Quoting the detainees, locals said that it was not just 11 individuals; at least 50 people were pushed into Bangladesh in two phases that day.

The rest reportedly went into hiding.

The Indian Express recently reported that Home Minister Amit Shah had instructed state governments to identify and deport all foreign nationals living illegally in India.

As part of this drive, over 2,000 people are believed to have been pushed into Bangladesh, moves that Indian authorities reportedly consider part of post-Kashmir attack counter-operations.

Security officials in Bangladesh acknowledge that if people continue to cross undetected by BGB or local authorities, national security risks cannot be ruled out.

When asked whether militants or criminals could be using these push-ins to enter the country, BGB Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui told the media: “Nothing can be ruled out. All possibilities remain.”

He added, “We are doing everything possible to ensure robust security so that nothing harmful to the country or the nation can take root.”

‘DIALOGUE IS THE ONLY WAY FORWARD’

To resolve the escalating issue, international relations analysts stress that the only viable solution is dialogue between the two countries.

Former Bangladeshi high commissioner to India Munshi Faiz Ahmad told bdnews24.com, “What’s happening with the push-ins is not legally justifiable at all. There are agreements between the two countries, formal frameworks exist. So, if anyone is to be sent back, whether through official or unofficial channels, it must be done with mutual consent.”

He continued, “First, it has to be determined whether the individual in question is indeed a Bangladeshi. Only then can Bangladesh officially accept them. That is the proper procedure. Once their identity is verified, the Indian side should then hand them over to us. Anything outside of that process is illegal.”

Commenting on the current state of bilateral relations, Munshi Faiz acknowledged strains in the Dhaka-Delhi relations.

“Our relationship with India isn’t going well. They’re partially responsible, but so are we. We can't entirely escape responsibility. Are we doing enough to encourage them to change their stance? Or is our effort insufficient? If our actions aren't producing results, then clearly they aren’t enough.”

He added, “We may believe we’re doing all we can, but it’s not working. The relationship must improve. Until it does, tensions will persist. India is a much larger power, and whenever it chooses, it can exert pressure on us.”

So, what should Bangladesh do?

“We must be cautious and face reality,” the former diplomat said. “Rhetoric won't help us. Problems will arise, but they must be resolved.

“We need to acknowledge our own realities and act accordingly. Through sincere dialogue, we need to normalise ties as soon as possible. That might mean making some concessions, but we should also protect our interests in return.”

‘EXISTING AGREEMENTS BEING IGNORED’

Former ambassador and international affairs analyst M Humayun Kabir shared a similar view.

Speaking to bdnews24.com, he said: “Under the 1995 border management guidelines, there is no room to justify push-ins like these. And it's not right either. But India is doing it. They claim those being pushed in are Bangladeshis who were living there. But there’s a procedure for that too.”

“If a Bangladeshi national is found in India, they should notify us. After verification, we can go through the established repatriation process. That too is a formal procedure. But India is currently ignoring all these processes.”

When asked what Bangladesh can do in response, Humayun Kabir said: "We could push them back. But what would that accomplish? It would only add to their suffering. That's not a solution. It would just be a reaction. The only way forward is through diplomatic engagement and bilateral discussion."

‘STOPPING PUSH-INS NOT PRACTICALLY POSSIBLE’

Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain said it is not practically possible for Bangladesh to prevent India from carrying out “push-ins”.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday afternoon, he said: “Today or tomorrow, Bangladesh will send another letter to India. We are trying to bring these issues under formal procedures by utilising the existing consular dialogue between the two countries.”

He explained that India, in some instances, has claimed that the verification process is being delayed on Bangladesh’s side. “Upon review, we found that some of the lists are indeed very old. But at the same time, we have also verified that Bangladesh has taken back many individuals after verification, based on India’s lists. So both sides may have their own perspectives.”

Touhid added, “We are working to see whether we can use the consular dialogue to bring this issue under a regulated process. Bangladesh will send another letter to India, stressing the need to follow proper channels. From the list India provided, we have identified and taken back individuals who were confirmed to be Bangladeshi citizens.”

When asked whether the letter to India would be a formal protest note or a diplomatic communication, the interim foreign minister clarified: “We will send a fact-based letter outlining the procedural concerns. We will try to revive the use of the consular dialogue mechanism, which has not been active for quite some time.”