India Must End Unlawful Expulsion of Muslims and Rohingya Refugees

Arakan Now | 31 July 2025

Fortify Rights has urged the Indian government to immediately halt its campaign of unlawful expulsions targeting Indian Muslim citizens and Rohingya refugees.

Under the guise of an “illegal immigrant” verification drive launched in May 2025, authorities have carried out widespread arrests, detentions, and forced deportations—actions that violate international human rights law.

The campaign has intensified in BJP-ruled states following deadly attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. In response, the Ministry of Home Affairs directed all states to complete immigrant verification within 30 days, leading to mass raids.

Reports confirm that over 2,000 individuals, including documented Indian Muslims and registered Rohingya refugees, have been forcibly sent to Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Fortify Rights documented cases of torture, arbitrary detention, religious coercion, and illegal pushbacks. One Indian Muslim, a teacher with proof of citizenship, was detained, blindfolded, and dumped at the Bangladesh border.

Another was threatened with death unless he declared himself Bangladeshi. Rohingya refugees, including UNHCR cardholders, described being beaten, forced into confession, and warned not to return.

Bangladeshi authorities reported over 1,800 forced arrivals since May. Some were even pushed into the sea and made to swim ashore.

Despite not being a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, India is bound by the international principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning refugees to countries where they face persecution.

Human rights groups have condemned India’s use of colonial-era laws and its 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act, which discriminates on the basis of religion.

“India is stripping Indian Muslim citizens and Rohingya refugees of their rights,” said John Quinley of Fortify Rights. “These acts reflect dangerous ethno-religious supremacism and must stop.”