India’s detention centres ordered in West Bengal have raised fears of arbitrary expulsions among Muslims in West Bengal. After authorities sought holding sites for apprehended foreigners awaiting deportation.
The order followed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s first state victory in West Bengal since India’s independence in 1947.
The BJP said the move targets undocumented Bangladeshis and Rohingya refugees under its “detect, delete, deport” policy.
The order said illegal migration carries security and socio-economic risks beyond routine law enforcement.
Critics said the policy could affect West Bengal’s roughly 35 million Muslims, many with linguistic and cultural ties to Bangladesh.
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Rights activists cited Assam, where they say identification drives led to detentions and deportations without a full legal process.
Humanitarian groups have also accused India of returning Rohingya refugees to Myanmar despite the conflict there.
