Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s back-to-back controversial comments on repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis and how they are being “rejected” under the cover of darkness have landed India in a diplomatic soup. Bangladesh on Thursday called and lodged a protest with the acting Indian High Commission in Dhaka over comments termed “disparaging” by the fiery Assam Chief Minister. The timing is crucial as India and Bangladesh restore ties under Tarique Rahman’s government after months of animosity.
So what led to the latest diplomatic row? Himanta was the first time he stirred up a hornet’s nest with his explosive comments in an interview with ABP News. The Chief Minister of Assam, known for his harsh views on illegal immigrants, claimed that deporting suspected Bangladeshi infiltrators was extremely difficult through official government channels such as the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
‘BANGLADESHES REJECTED IN THE NIGHT’
In the interview, Sarma stressed that relying on official channels often leads to the BSF holding suspected illegal immigrants for up to 30 or 40 days. “Even if we push them back, some return through Bengal,” said Himanta, who has campaigned for Assam to be “free of infiltrators.”
The issue of illegal immigration from Bangladesh was a central issue in the elections in Assam, where Himanta is seeking a second consecutive term.
The BJP leader pointed out several challenges in returning illegal Bangladeshis through official channels. The key obstacle, as Himanta said, was Dhaka’s refusal to recognize Bangladeshi nationals. India and Bangladesh have an extradition treaty that applies to the transfer of criminals and fugitives.
“If I want to return them officially, I will have to approach the MEA. The MEA will then send the details to Bangladesh. Then it will be up to Bangladesh alone to decide who they want to get back,” Sarma said.
Instead, Himanta said people are “turned away” by “taking advantage of the night” in places where the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) is not present. The Assam Chief Minister said that while 1,400 Bangladeshis were officially “turned away”, the real number could be in the thousands.
“Last year, the Supreme Court said that if the district magistrate finds that a person is not Indian, an eviction order can be issued. However, the order does not specify how the eviction will be carried out,” Himanta said.
He then explained the process of how illegal Bangladeshis are “turned back”.
“We took them to a convenient place near the border and literally pushed them (dhakka marna padega) across the border. Now, such an atmosphere has been created in Assam that several illegal Bangladeshis have started returning on their own,” he further said.
ON INDIA-BANGLADESH LINKS
In fact, for the past few months, Assam’s chief minister has been posting photographs of alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators being “rejected” to the country.
Even last week, Sarma tweeted that 20 illegal citizens were returned to Bangladesh. “Rude people don’t understand soft language,” Sarma said in an April 26 post.
This is the reason, Sarma said cryptically, why Assam does not want relations between India and Bangladesh to improve.
“When relations are good, the Indian government also does not want to push back illegal immigrants. That is why the people of Assam feel good when there is a hostile atmosphere between India and Bangladesh,” Sarma quipped during his interview with ABP.
INDIAN ENVOY SUMMONED
Sarma’s strong comments appear to have become the latest point of friction between the countries at a time when the relationship has shown signs of thawing. Ties hit their lowest point under the government of Muhammad Yunus, who took over as interim chief following the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
On Thursday, Bangladesh summoned acting Indian High Commissioner Pawan Badhe and lodged a formal protest over Sarma’s comments, according to a report in The Dhaka Tribune. Sources said Bangladesh conveyed to Badhe that the comments were “disparaging” to bilateral relations.
India, however, has not issued any official statement.
The ties between neighbors have improved lately. Last month, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman met his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval. It was Bangladesh’s first engagement after the BNP won the February elections under Tarique Rahman.
Furthermore, amid turmoil in the Middle East, India remains a key supplier of fuel, particularly diesel, to Bangladesh.
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