New Delhi: Discourse around allegedly illegal Bangladesh immigrants in India and their “characterisation” has an impact on ties, and the ongoing policy of arbitrarily “pushing in” such individuals is creating a “negative” impression amongst the people of Bangladesh, the country’s envoy to India Riaz Hamidullah said Friday in an exclusive interaction with ThePrint’s newsroom.
“My considered view would be that characterisation of a people by any term, anyone, frankly speaking, should be cautious that for whatever reason we may call another people by that. And history would suffice immediately for that,” High Commissioner Hamidullah said, when questioned on the ongoing political discourse within India over Bangladeshi “infiltrators”.
He added: “But people may not respect or respond…but very quietly, exactly like the process of sedimentation, it goes into people’s minds. And past months and weeks as I converse, interact with people back home, I can sense it significantly.”
In May this year, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had issued a directive to all states and Union Territories to verify the credentials of suspected Myanmar and Bangladeshi nationals within 30 days, and potentially deport them to their home countries. This has led to a number of reports indicating that New Delhi has arbitrarily been “pushing” out individuals suspected of illegally moving to India, while possibly side-stepping the established institutional mechanisms.
“What you are referring to, alluding to, is very classically understood to be irregular movement of people. To be more exact, trafficking in persons as well. So this is what I would quantify this as. And then if any individual has crossed over to another, I mean to India, and vice versa to Bangladesh, there are standard mechanisms, institutional mechanisms and procedures laid out,” Hamidullah said.
“Now, what we have been observing since May—early May to be exact—the arbitrary push in of individuals, allegedly Bangladeshi…because it’s for sure that not vast majority of them are Bangladeshi…back into Bangladesh is, if I may say a single thing, it’s exactly creating very negative impression amongst the population,” he added.
However, there are mechanisms established between India and Bangladesh for the verification of the citizenship of individuals, and their potential deportation if found to have illegally moved across borders. The mechanisms have come under stress in recent months.
“But what we see is that irrespective of that, the arbitrary push-ins are taking place. This, to me, simply put, stands to hurt the relationship. And may also say, this may not give a real deserving high value, sort of standing of India that India has, not only in Bangladesh, South Asia, but the world over.”
The migration of individuals from Bangladesh has been a contentious political issue, especially in India’s North-Eastern states. As recently as 2 October, the Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma referred to alleged Bangladeshi “infiltrators” as “the modern day evils”, asserting that at least 22 such individuals were “pushed back” across the border.
“On a day when Prabhu Shri Ram defeated Ravan, we managed to push back the modern day evils—illegal infiltrators. 22 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators have been PUSHED BACK in the wee hours today,” Sarma had written in a post on X.
On a day when Prabhu Shri Ram defeated Ravan, we managed to push back the modern day evils- illegal infiltrators.
22 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators have been PUSHED BACK in the wee hours today.
Our fight for protecting the interests of Assam and Bharat continues 🚨 pic.twitter.com/kCjyw7H7zi
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 2, 2025
Illegal migration has been a major irritant in ties between India and Bangladesh, which have remained tense for over a year since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024.
Interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, who took over from Hasina, has travelled across the world, including China, for visits, but has yet to travel to India. Yunus met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the margins of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) summit in the Thai capital of Bangkok in April this year.
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‘Must liberate ties’
Ties between India and Bangladesh are steeped in history. India fought the Bangladesh Liberation War with Pakistan in 1971, which aided in the creation of an independent state. However, ties have waxed and waned as governments changed both in New Delhi and Dhaka.
“Bangladesh-India relations we tend to look at, or we are familiar with, in terms of many things. But I would like to underscore that I think we are having a very cliched menu of engagements. The question is that we are still stuck with cooperation. But shouldn’t it be collaboration or collaborative engagements? And that’s where my take is that, and I said it in June at the public outreach for the first time. It’s time that we liberate the relationship,” Hamidullah further said.
“The bigger question is that if you are to prospect into the future, how would we do that? Obviously we have history, but stepping into or shaping a relationship or that to liberating it in terms of history. How much we can do is a bigger question…The top most for me is agriculture and agri-food.”
Pointing out that ties have focused on four or five consistent pillars, such as security, trade, and transboundary water-sharing, Hamidullah highlighted areas where the relationship could see potentially deeper engagement—agriculture, healthcare and school education.
The High Commissioner also highlighted how the sweeping demographic changes in Bangladesh—52.2 percent of its population are below the age of 35—and its rapid urbanisation that is expected to hit 48 percent by 2030, has changed the aspirations of Bangladeshi society.
“Equity and mutual trust. The demographic, particularly the younger demographic…what they’re asking is that whenever, wherever, formally or informally, we interact, we sit across with anyone…be that any power, the other side should regard us as a sovereign equal partner, not simply as a customer,” said Hamidullah.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)