India Targeting Muslims in Bangladesh Expulsions, Says NGO

India has pushed hundreds of ethnic Bengali-speaking Muslims into Bangladesh without due process, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on July 24, accusing the government of flouting rules and fueling bias on religious lines.

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NEW DELHI -

The Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has long taken a hardline stance on immigrants, particularly those from neighboring Muslim-majority Bangladesh - with the top authorities referring to them as "termites" and "infiltrators".

Critics also accuse the government of sparking fear among India's estimated 200 million Muslims, especially among speakers of Bengali, a widely spoken language in both eastern India and Bangladesh.

The New York-based HRW said India forcibly expelled more than 1,500 Muslim men, women and children to Bangladesh between May 7 and June 15, quoting the Bangladeshi authorities.