Migrants flee to Bangladesh border fearing India crackdown

Hundreds of undocumented Bangladeshi migrants have gathered at a West Bengal border post, trying to cross back into Bangladesh as India tightens enforcement under a new state government.

Police said the crowd at Hakimpur, about 80 kilometers east of Kolkata, had been building for two days. The rush followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist BJP winning power in West Bengal earlier this month on a pledge to "detect, delete and deport" illegal migrants.

Why are migrants fleeing India to Bangladesh?

Migrants are fleeing India following a BJP election victory in West Bengal that brought promises of mass deportations of undocumented workers. Last week, state authorities ordered the establishment of holding centers for "apprehended foreigners," including Bangladeshis and Rohingya, fueling anxiety among the state's roughly 35 million Muslims.

Rights groups have warned of forced expulsions and limited legal protections for those without documentation.

Who are the migrants gathering at the West Bengal border?

Many of those at Hakimpur are economic migrants who entered India over years seeking work in construction and other informal industries. Hasina Bibi, 45, said she had worked at construction sites in Kolkata after entering India six years ago. "We have been asked to leave immediately, or the government will take stern action," she told AFP, adding: "We came to this city in search of a job. Now we want to return to Bangladesh, but we don't know what is waiting for us there."

Her husband tried feeding their four-year-old child scraps of leftover bread as families huddled in an unfinished building near the border post, some without proper food for days. Senior state police official Subrata Saha told AFP that people had been arriving at Hakimpur since Tuesday after word spread that crossing into Bangladesh was possible from that outpost. Authorities said those gathered at the temporary shelter would be moved to holding centers for checks before being handed to the Border Security Force and sent to Bangladesh.

What happens to migrants who cannot prove citizenship?

Many migrants are caught between Indian pressure to leave and Bangladesh's refusal to accept them without formal proof of citizenship. Abdul Sheikh, 20, said he was born in Kolkata after his parents arrived from Bangladesh more than two decades ago, but has no valid documents to prove Indian nationality. With his parents now dead, he said he had been warned to leave "or face the consequences." "All my hopes are dashed. I don't know how I can prove that I am Bangladeshi," he said.

Others said they felt they had no choice but to go. "We feel helpless, we are returning as it is now a government order," said Ariful Sardar, a bricklayer who had come to India three years ago for his father's medical treatment. The situation has left many in legal limbo, with rights groups warning that deportations in neighboring Assam have already proceeded without due process, often based on ethnic profiling.

What is the history of migration between India and Bangladesh?

India shares a long and porous border with Bangladesh, and migration has historically been driven by economic hardship and longstanding family ties.

West Bengal's migration history dates to the 1947 partition of British India, when Bengal was divided along religious lines into predominantly Hindu West Bengal and Muslim-majority East Pakistan, which later became Bangladesh. In border states like West Bengal and Assam, undocumented migrants have formed a significant part of the informal workforce for years.

The developments in Assam, where hundreds have been pushed across the border in recent months, have heightened fears in West Bengal among both officials and residents. Border guards said crossings were increasing, with many attempting to slip across a nearby river under cover of darkness. "It's not difficult to cross the river and it has now become very difficult to guard the border," a BSF official told AFP.