Is Assam border overused for Bangladeshi pushback?

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Assam has to shoulder the staggering burden of pushing back Bangladeshis caught in almost all other states of India, apart from those caught in Assam. A section of illegal Bangladeshis caught in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, etc., are pushed back to Bangladesh through the Assam border that remains tense for that reason.

According to sources, following a directive from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), illegal Bangladeshis are caught all over India and sent back to Bangladesh. A section of the illegal Bangladeshis has to be pushed back to Bangladesh through the borders of West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya. However, the states in the rest of India have chosen mainly Assam, as they cannot take West Bengal into confidence. Thus, Assam has to shoulder almost the entire burden of pushing back Bangladeshis, apart from those caught in Assam, the sources said.

According to sources, since the BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) continues to oppose the pushback policy adopted by the Government of India, border tension is the new normal on either side of the Bangladesh border in the Cachar and Sribhumi districts when large numbers of Bangladeshis are pushed back.

On July 5, 2025, the Assam Police pushed back 18 Bangladeshis through the Cachar and Sribhumi districts. According to Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Assam Police have launched a statewide crackdown on illegal migrants, especially Bangladeshis, residing in Assam without valid documents. In the past two months, over 400 Bangladeshis were pushed back to Bangladesh from the state. “This exercise will be intensified in the days to come,” he said.

According to sources, there are allegations that a section of the pushed-back Bangladeshis re-entered India through Meghalaya. “Pushback without taking the BGB into confidence is resulting in many of them returning to India. However, the BSF is taking these allegations seriously and intensifying their vigil,” a source said.

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