Human rights advocates, academics, and lawyers across India are condemning the Indian government’s deportation of people from Assam to Bangladesh, calling it a violation of constitutional and human rights protections. In an undated public statement, endorsed by academics and activists, 125 signatories called for an end to all “pushbacks” and “allow the return of those citizens who have already been forcibly deported to Bangladesh”.
It noted that on May 27, Indian authorities deported the group, including a government school teacher, Khairul Islam, whose case challenging his designation as a “foreigner” remains pending before the Supreme Court. Critics say the deportations were carried out without proper legal procedure or final court determinations.
Another case involved Manikjan Begum, who was deported along with her 8-month-old child. In at least one instance, an individual with a pending Supreme Court appeal—Monowara Bewa—was removed from the country, drawing outrage from legal experts and activists.
Bewa’s son, Iunuch Ali, has filed an urgent habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court of India, alleging that his mother has been unlawfully detained and is at imminent risk of being “pushed back” across the India-Bangladesh border—a move he claims is not just illegal, but a direct violation of multiple Supreme Court orders.
“These actions represent a shocking disregard for Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which protects the right to life and personal liberty of all persons—not just citizens,” said a joint statement signed by more than 120 individuals and organisations. “The denial of a hearing before deportation violates Article 14’s guarantees of equality and due process.”
The group denounced the role of Assam’s Foreigners’ Tribunals (FT), calling them arbitrary and opaque. Although higher courts have frequently overturned FT rulings, activists say authorities are deporting individuals without exhausting their legal remedies.
The deportations also raise safety concerns. The India-Bangladesh border is considered among the world’s most dangerous, with those pushed back facing possible gunfire or detention by Bangladeshi border forces.
Those deported were held in the Matia transit camp in Goalpara, Assam, which critics describe as a detention centre where due process and dignity are regularly denied.
From the beginning of May, India has been deporting batches of undocumented Bangladeshi migrants through its eastern and northeastern borders. They were rounded up in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Assam.
Nearly 2,000 people are estimated to have been deported over the past month, according to reports citing Indian government sources.
The signatories demanded an immediate halt to pushbacks and called for the return of deported individuals. They also urged the government to release detainees from the Matia camp, provide legal aid, and halt arrests of declared foreign nationals (DFNs) out on bail unless verified by Bangladeshi authorities.
“This is not just a legal failure,” the statement read, “it is a humanitarian crisis that strikes at the core of India’s constitutional democracy.”
Among the signatories are professors, lawyers, activists, and students from institutions across India and abroad, including the National Law School of India University, Jamia Millia Islamia, and SOAS University of London.
