Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. | Photo credit: PTI
The repatriation of Bangladeshi nationals residing illegally in India is a “core issue” in the Delhi-Dhaka relationship, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday (May 07, 2026).
Responding to comments by the new Bangladesh government about possible “pushbacks” from the Indian side, MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal asked Dhaka for cooperation in expediting the repatriation of at least 2,862 identified illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
“These comments have to be seen in the context of the key issue of repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis from India. This requires cooperation from Bangladesh. More than 2,862 nationality verification cases are pending in Bangladesh, some for more than five years,” Mr Jaiswal said.
India expects Bangladesh to “expedite the nationality verification” of these identified persons so that “the repatriation of illegal immigrants can proceed smoothly,” he said. “It is our policy that all illegal foreign nationals residing in India must be repatriated in accordance with our laws, procedures and established bilateral arrangements,” Jaiswal added.
‘Push-in’ across an unguarded land border
India’s response came days after Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and Interior Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said Dhaka would take “appropriate measures” if it tried to “push” individuals from India across the India-Bangladesh land border.
The matter drew attention in Dhaka after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in an interview referred to his government’s policy of “pushing” Bangladeshi migrants across the unguarded land border without going through the procedures laid down by the MEA.
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry summoned the Indian envoy in Dhaka to protest Mr Sarma’s remarks. The matter gained prominence after the BJP won the assembly elections in West Bengal, where its leader Suvendu Adhikari made similar remarks.
Center-state policy differences
After Bangladesh elected a BNP government in February 2026, Delhi struggled to get its relations with Dhaka back on track after months of instability under the caretaker government. The remarks by Mr Adhikari and Mr Sarma were generally viewed by officials as contradicting India’s current official policy towards Bangladesh.
However, Mr Jaiswal did not address a question from The Hindu on Thursday (May 7, 2026) whether the MEA had any discussion with Mr Sarma about this mismatch with the Centre’s and state’s policies, instead reiterating that there was a “core problem” of illegal immigration from Bangladesh to India.
Border guards on alert
Earlier on Tuesday (May 5, 2026), Bangladesh’s foreign minister referred to Mr Sarma’s remarks and said: “When the Assam chief minister said similar things and admitted that he had taken some steps, you saw that we protested strongly. We will take all necessary action in this matter.”
This was further addressed on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, who said Bangladesh had put its border guards on alert to prevent attempts to “push” the Indian side in West Bengal.
Published – 07 May 2026 16:59 IST
