India flags 2,862 verification requests after Dhaka warns against 'push-backs'

India yesterday (7 May) asked Bangladesh to expedite the verification of the nationality of nearly 3,000 suspected illegal immigrants from the neighbouring country, days after Dhaka said it would take action if New Delhi forcibly pushes any individuals believed to be Bangladeshis across the border.

Bangladesh's foreign minister Khalilur Rahman, in a message in Bengali posted on the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party's Facebook page on Tuesday (5 May), a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party won assembly elections in the border state of West Bengal, said Dhaka will take action if there are any "push-in" incidents from the Indian side.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a weekly media briefing that the Indian side had noted the comments from Bangladesh on this matter.

"These comments must be seen in the context of the core issue of repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis from India," he said while responding to a question on Rahman's remarks.

At the same time, Jaiswal sought Bangladesh's assistance to handle the issue of illegal migrants.

"This obviously requires cooperation from Bangladesh. Over 2,862 cases of nationality verification are pending with Bangladesh, and a lot of it for over five years," he said.

"Our policy is that any foreign national who is illegal in the country, he or she must be repatriated as per our laws, procedures and established bilateral arrangements. We expect that Bangladesh will expedite nationality verification so that repatriation of illegal immigrants can take place in a smooth manner," Jaiswal said.

The issue of illegal migration from Bangladesh to the border states of Assam and West Bengal has been a sensitive matter over the decades. During the campaign for the recent election in West Bengal, the BJP accused the state's former ruling party, the Trinamool Congress, of allowing the influx of Bangladeshi nationals into the region.

The charge was denied by the Trinamool Congress, which was defeated after 15 years in power.

On Wednesday (6 May), Bangladesh home minister Salahuddin Ahmed said he hoped that no individual would be pushed into the country after the BJP's victory in the assembly elections in the border states of Assam and West Bengal.

"I hope no such incident will happen," Ahmed told reporters when he was asked if he feared an increase in cases of suspected illegal migrants being pushed back from India. Ahmed also said the Border Guard Bangladesh had been asked to "remain alert" along the frontiers.

Bangladesh has protested against the so-called "pushback" of individuals from the Indian side in recent years. Some of the incidents also resulted in controversy after the individuals forcibly sent across the border were found to be Indian nationals.

Jaiswal responded to another question about possible cooperation between Bangladesh and China on the management of the Teesta river in the neighbouring country, saying that New Delhi and Dhaka have established bilateral mechanisms to address all matters related to cross-border rivers.

"Between India and Bangladesh, we have 54 rivers that the two countries share. We have structured bilateral mechanisms to discuss all water-related issues. These bilateral mechanisms continue to meet at regular intervals," he said.

Bangladesh's state-run BSS news agency reported yesterday (7 May) that foreign minister Rahman, during an ongoing visit to China, had sought Beijing's "involvement and support" for the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project at a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

India has opposed any Chinese involvement in projects related to the Teesta river because of its location near a sensitive region of the border with Bangladesh.

The Teesta is the only cross-border river on which India and Bangladesh have been unable to reach an agreement on water-sharing due to opposition from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Under existing laws, the state government has to sign off on any agreement with Bangladesh on the sharing of waters of a cross-border river.