Back-to-back controversial remarks by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis and the manner in which they are “pushed back” under the cover of darkness have landed India in a diplomatic soup. On Thursday, Bangladesh summoned and lodged a protest with the acting Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka over Dhaka termed “disparaging” remarks by the fiery Assam chief minister. The timing is crucial, coming as India and Bangladesh reset ties under Tarique Rahman after months of animosity.
So, what led to the latest diplomatic row? Himanta first stirred a hornet’s nest by his explosive remarks in an interview with ABP News. The Assam Chief Minister, known for his sharp views on illegal immigrants, claimed that deporting alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators was extremely difficult through official government channels, such as the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
‘BANGLADESHIS PUSHED BACK IN NIGHT’
In the interview, Sarma underscored that relying on official channels often leads to suspected illegal immigrants being held by the BSF for up as many as 30-40 days. “Even if we push them back, some come back via Bengal,” Himanta, who has campaigned on making Assam “infiltrator-free”, said.
The issue of illegal immigration from Bangladesh was a central theme in the Assam elections, where Himanta is eyeing a second straight term.
The BJP leader pointed out several challenges in sending back illegal Bangladeshis via official channels. The key hurdle, as Himanta said, was Dhaka’s refusal to acknowledge Bangladeshi nationals. India and Bangladesh have an extradition treaty that applies to the transfer of criminals and fugitives.
“If I want to send them back officially, I will have to approach the MEA. The MEA will then send details to Bangladesh. It then depends solely on Bangladesh to decide whom they want to take back,” Sarma said.
Instead, Himanta said that people are “pushed back” by “taking advantage of the night” in places where the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) are not present. The Assam Chief Minister said while 1,400 Bangladeshis were officially “pushed back”, the actual number could be in thousands.
“Last year, the Supreme Court said if the District Magistrate (DM) feels a person is not Indian, an eviction order can be issued. However, the order does not specify how the eviction is to be carried out,” Himanta said.
He then explained the process of how the illegal Bangladeshis are “pushed back”.
“We take them to a convenient location near the border, and literally push them (dhakka marna padega) across the border. Now, such an atmosphere has been created in Assam that several illegal Bangladeshis have started going back on their own,” he further said.
ON INDIA-BANGLADESH TIES
In fact, over the past few months, the Assam chief minister has been posting pictures of alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators being “pushed back” into the country.
Even as early as last week, Sarma tweeted that 20 illegal nationals were pushed back to Bangladesh. “Rude people don’t understand soft language,” Sarma said in a post on April 26.
This is the reason, Sarma said cryptically, that Assam doesn’t want India-Bangladesh ties to improve.
“When relations are good, the Indian government also does not want to push back illegal migrants. Therefore, people of Assam feel good when there is a hostile atmosphere between India and Bangladesh,” Sarma quipped during his interview with ABP.
INDIAN ENVOY SUMMONED
The spirited remarks by Sarma seem to have become the latest friction point between the countries at a time when the relationship has shown signs of a thaw. Ties reached an all-time low under Muhammad Yunus, who took over as interim chief after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
On Thursday, Bangladesh summoned the acting Indian High Commissioner, Pawan Badhe, and lodged a formal protest over Sarma’s remarks, according to a report in The Dhaka Tribune. Sources said Bangladesh conveyed to Badhe that the remarks were “disparaging” to bilateral ties.
India, however, has not issued any official statement.
Ties between the neighbours have been on an upswing lately. Last month, Bangladesh foreign minister Khalilur Rahman held meetings with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval. It was the first engagement by Bangladesh after the BNP won the February polls under Tarique Rahman.
Moreover, amid the turmoil in the Middle East, India has remained a key supplier of fuel, particularly diesel, to Bangladesh.
– Ends
Published By:
Abhishek De
Published On:
May 1, 2026 14:30 IST
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