Indian state of Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday confirmed that the state government is pushing back Rohingya refugees and other “illegal infiltrators” into Bangladesh, rather than pursuing legal action against them, Scroll.in reported.
Previously, such individuals were detained, charged under Indian law, and held in jails, Sarma told the outlet.
However, he emphasized a policy shift, saying: “We have now decided we will not bring them inside the country. We will push them back. Pushing them back is a new phenomenon.”
Sarma’s remarks come days after Bangladesh’s Border Guard (BGB) detained 123 undocumented persons, including Rohingyas and Bengali-speaking individuals, whom India had pushed into Bangladesh on Wednesday.
Their identities were being verified, said BGB Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui.
National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman confirmed that Dhaka is seeking direct contact with New Delhi regarding these reported push-ins through the Indo-Bangladesh borders in Kurigram and Khagrachhari.
Khalilur stressed that any verified Bangladeshi citizens would be accepted—but only through formal channels, rejecting the pushback method.
Sarma described the pushback policy as a “new innovation” to curb infiltration numbers, saying that previously 4,000 to 5,000 people entered India annually, but the pushback method is reducing those figures.
Calling infiltration a “big issue,” Sarma told The Telegraph that the Assam government no longer follows legal procedures for detaining and prosecuting undocumented migrants, claiming pushback is now a routine operation.
The Indian Express quoted Sarma as saying that this pushback policy is part of a broader central government operation targeting foreign nationals, with Assam as an active participant.
Among those pushed back recently were individuals detained at Assam’s Matia detention centre, including Rohingyas, Sarma confirmed.
“Now, the only people remaining in Matia are declared foreigners whose legal cases are still pending,” he added.
