India’s actions along the Bangladesh border have created a serious humanitarian crisis and deep diplomatic tensions. This has led to the loss of human lives and a situation in which communities are terrorised. What is officially framed as a crackdown on “illegal immigration” increasingly appears to be a system of excessive force, lawless enforcement, and disregard for both human rights and Bangladesh’s sovereignty.

India’s Border Security Force (BSF), operating along the long and porous India-Bangladesh frontier, claims to be curbing “illegal immigration.” Yet civil society and human rights groups warn that these border operations often result in deadly violence against Bangladeshi civilians. According to the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), in the 10 years up to 2025, the BSF killed 305 Bangladeshis and injured 282 others. In 2024 alone, HRSS recorded 47 shootings, 158 arrests, and 26 fatalities. These incidents illustrate a long-term pattern in which unarmed and often impoverished people, including farmers, cattle traders and cross-border workers, become victims of lethal force. These operations continue despite repeated diplomatic pledges. New Delhi and Dhaka have held several high-level meetings to address border violence under the Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP). According to HRSS, the killings still continue, raising serious questions about the human cost of India’s immigration policy.

Many of those affected belong to marginalised groups, especially religious minorities and border communities living in constant fear. These people are sometimes falsely labelled as “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants,” detained and........

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