Nearly 5,000 undocumented Bangladeshi nationals have been deported from West Bengal since the BJP secured a landslide election victory in May 2026, gaining control of the region along the India-Bangladesh border [1]. Authorities have established holding centers across the state to verify the status of undocumented Bangladeshis and Rohingyas before deportation [1].
By mid-2026, about 4,800 people had been sent across the Bangladesh border, with 836 remaining in custody in West Bengal pending further proceedings [1]. India's Home Minister Amit Shah said, "The government of India has decided that not only will we stop infiltration, but we will find each and every infiltrator and send them out of the country." He added the aim was to "make the Bangladesh and Pakistan borders impenetrable to defeat what he called a 'conspiracy to change the demography of the country.'" [1]
The BJP government ran its campaign on a promise to secure the India-Bangladesh border by identifying and deporting undocumented migrants, specifically targeting Muslim Bangladeshis, many of whom have been detained or deported since the new government took office [1, 2]. Critics have raised concerns that the campaign risks deepening religious tensions and may undermine due process protections for those detained or deported [2].
Nasreen Begum, a homemaker from West Bengal, said, "My parents were born here, my grandparents were born here, and yet people are afraid they may one day have to prove it. That uncertainty is what worries people most." [1]
Following the BJP's May election victory, authorities in June ordered districts to set up holding centers for the verification and deportation of undocumented migrants [1]. The process remains ongoing as hundreds remain in custody awaiting verification.
Officials have announced continued vigilance along the India-Bangladesh border, with further deportations expected as verification proceeds in the coming months [1].
