Communal profiling? Human rights group condemns crackdown, forced expulsions at India-Bangladesh border

By A Representative

Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), a human rights organization monitoring the India-Bangladesh border, has condemned the detention and forced expulsion of border residents.

Citing reports from national and international media, MASUM highlights that individuals—primarily from Muslim communities—are being detained without due process by local police, handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF), blindfolded, and forcibly pushed into Bangladesh. The organization states that these actions violate the Indian Constitution, the country's criminal justice system, and international human rights treaties.

The timing of these expulsions, MASUM notes, corresponds with national security measures following the terrorist attack in Pahegam, Kashmir, and the Indian government's intensified stance against Pakistan. It warns of communal profiling under the guise of security operations, stating that these expulsions have predominantly occurred in BJP-ruled states, including Gujarat, Assam, Odisha, and Rajasthan.

Kirity Roy, Secretary of MASUM, stated, “Arbitrary detention and forced expulsion are violations of fundamental rights. These actions set a dangerous precedent and erode the principles of justice.”

MASUM has called for an immediate halt to these operations, an independent judicial inquiry, and the prosecution of responsible officials. It has also appealed to the National Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the judiciary, and the media to take urgent action.

"Justice must not be a selective privilege—it must be a guaranteed right," the statement concludes.

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