India Flies 160 'Illegal' Bangladeshis To Border As New Delhi's 'Push Back' Policy Intensifies

Over 160 undocumented migrants from Bangladesh were flown aboard an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft from Ghaziabad to Agartala on Sunday for repatriation to their home country, according to a report by The Hindu.

The special flight departed from Ghaziabad and landed at Agartala airport the same day.

Photo Credit: PTI

The group included women and children who had been detained by Delhi Police in outer Delhi during a recent operation to identify illegal immigrants.

According to the official, the transportation aligns with the government's directive to repatriate undocumented migrants to Bangladesh directly, rather than waiting for the protracted deportation procedure.

In the wake of the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed States to intensify efforts against undocumented migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. Over 500 individuals have reportedly been repatriated so far.

On 17 May, approximately 140 undocumented migrants from Rajasthan were flown to Agartala on an Air India flight and sent to Bangladesh.

Earlier, on 4 May, two Air India flights transported 300 undocumented migrants - including 200 women and children detained in Gujarat - to Agartala, from where they were repatriated via the land border.

On 23 April, the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), under the MHA, informed Kolkata Police that 80 undocumented migrants from Delhi were being brought by train to the city, from where they would be handed over to the Border Security Force for onward transfer to Bangladesh.

On 10 May, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced at a press conference in Guwahati that the government had adopted the "push back" mechanism to curb infiltration, bypassing the usual legal channels.

These detainees differ from Bangladeshis who have either overstayed their visas or entered India legally. On 22 May, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that India had asked Bangladesh to verify the nationality of 2,369 "illegal migrants" to facilitate deportation. The MEA added that some of these cases had been pending for over five years.

Explaining the procedure, another senior official noted that multiple government departments had been assigned specific responsibilities.

Police across various states have been conducting drives to identify undocumented migrants. Once detained, the migrants are reported to the FRRO. In Delhi, they are held at two detention centres located in Bakkarwala and Inderlok, in north-west and west Delhi, respectively.

"The FRRO arranges for their transportation, they are then handed over to the Border Security Force," the official explained.

Following detention, the migrants' biometric data is collected and stored with the MHA. Any Indian documents acquired fraudulently are cancelled.

"The biometrics are being captured to ensure that if they manage to enter the country again, they are not able to register again for documents such as Aadhaar. Their details are shared with the Aadhaar authorities who have been asked to prepare a blacklist," said the official.

On Monday, 26 May, Brigadier General Md. Nazim-ud-Daula, Director of the Military Operations Directorate of the Bangladesh Army, stated at a press conference in Dhaka that "push-ins are unacceptable."

He added, "BGB (Border Guards Bangladesh) is handling it efficiently, and if needed, the army will step in under government instruction. For now, BGB is managing well, within international protocols," as reported by The Daily Star, Bangladesh.

The crackdown on illegal foreign nationals intensified after the political transition in Bangladesh in August 2024, following directives from the MHA to the States. It escalated further after the Pahalgam attack.