India has deported nearly 5,000 Bangladeshi nationals following the recent electoral victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the eastern state of West Bengal, according to official figures. The BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, secured a decisive win in the state elections held last month, where the party campaigned on a platform that included identifying and expelling illegal migrants.

West Bengal shares an extensive and porous border with Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country. Migration across this border has historically been influenced by economic factors and familial connections. Upon assuming power, the new state government, headed by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, announced the creation of detention facilities for undocumented migrants from Bangladesh as well as Rohingya refugees, who have fled persecution in Myanmar.

Speaking from Kolkata on Sunday, Adhikari stated that since the establishment of holding centers in all districts of West Bengal in May, approximately 4,800 Bangladeshi nationals have been deported. He added that another 836 individuals remain in these detention centers as authorities prepare for their removal. Adhikari emphasized that those deported did not qualify for protection under the Citizenship Amendment Act, which offers a pathway to citizenship for some persecuted minorities from neighboring countries but excludes Muslim migrants.

The intensified deportation efforts occur amid rising political tensions surrounding immigration in West Bengal. Senior Indian officials have used inflammatory language, referring to migrants as “termites” and “infiltrators,” further fueling controversy. Critics of the BJP argue that such rhetoric exacerbates the marginalization of India’s Muslim population, which numbers over 200 million, by equating religious identity with illegal migration. Human rights organizations have also previously accused Indian authorities of forcibly pushing Bengali-speaking Muslims into Bangladesh without following due legal procedures.

The deportations and the broader immigration crackdown underscore the complex challenges India faces in managing its border with Bangladesh while addressing domestic political and social dynamics in one of its most populous states.