India Accused of Forcibly Deporting Muslim Citizens into Bangladesh at Gunpoint

Pushback operations spark international outrage, legal condemnation and diplomatic tension A deepening humanitarian and diplomatic crisis is unfolding on the Bangladesh–India border, as multiple rights groups, eyewitnesses, and Bangladeshi officials accuse India of forcibly deporting its own Muslim citizens into Bangladesh—some reportedly at gunpoint—under a sweeping and controversial “pushback” campaign. Over 1,200 individuals, many from Assam and West Bengal, have allegedly been pushed across the border in May and June alone, in actions widely condemned as illegal, inhumane, and politically motivated. ❝ They pushed us like animals… with rifles pointed at our backs. ❞ Hazera Khatun, 62, from Assam’s Barpeta district, recounted being escorted by Indian police to the border on 25 May, stripped of her Indian voter ID and Aadhaar documents, and forced into no man’s land along with 13 others. “They said nothing. Just pointed rifles. When we begged to call our families, they shouted and waved us