INDIA’S continued push-in along the Bangladesh border marks a troubling departure from diplomatic norms, legal obligations and the principles of neighbourly conduct. The latest incident, in which 30 people were forcibly pushed through the Tentulbaria border in Meherpur, shows that this is no longer a matter of sporadic lapses but a sustained pattern. Since May 7, at least 2,402 people have been pushed into Bangladesh. There are Rohingya refugees and even Indians among them. The Indian authorities have pushed at least 223 Rohingyas across the border, including 50 registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in India. Their accounts follow the same troubling sequence: detention by the Indian police, confinement in various facilities and then expulsion without due legal process. The Calcutta High Court has already declared such deportation unlawful and instructed that Indians pushed into Bangladesh should be brought back, lending weight to Dhaka’s long-held position that India’s border practices increasingly breach the international law and bilateral agreements. Bangladesh has consistently stated, through official channels, that it remains ready to take back any Bangladeshis residing illegally in India as long as the repatriation takes place through recognised, formal procedures.
New Delhi, however, has yet to respond in any meaningful way and this silence has effectively allowed the practice to continue, further straining a relationship already under considerable pressure and unsettling the communities that live along the frontiers. Alongside the push-ins, the continuing killing of Bangladeshis along the border remains just as alarming, a grim reality that India has failed to resolve despite repeated assurances. More than 30 Bangladeshis wer killed in 2025 alone. Recent cases, including the shooting of a young farmer in Lalmonirhat and the deaths of two men in Chapainawabganj, have reinforced the perception that India’s professed ‘no lethal weapon policy’ exists more on paper than in practice. For border communities, everyday tasks such as tending fields, caring for livestock or moving through shared spaces have become fraught with danger. Matters have worsened with reports of Indian forces attempting to construct fencing near the zero line, in a clear contravention of bilateral agreements on the placement of border infrastructure. These developments, taken together with the push-ins, erode trust, undermine prospects for cooperative border management and expose the widening gulf between India’s official commitments and its actions on the ground.
Bangladesh cannot allow such violations of sovereignty, humanitarian standards and diplomatic commitments to be normalised. Dhaka must, therefore, raise the issue at relevant United Nations platforms, regional bodies and international human rights forums to ensure that such persistent violations should receive the scrutiny that they demand. New Delhi needs to realise that true neighbourliness requires respect, restraint and adherence to the rule of law. It is now up to India to demonstrate these values not merely in declaration, but in practice.
