The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, on a recent Wednesday proclaimed that the state has seen an alarming surge in illegal immigration attempts. This surge, according to him, arises from the political turmoil currently enveloping Bangladesh, Assam’s neighboring country. During a press conference discussing Assam’s progression into 2024, Sarma pointed out that the rise in unauthorized immigration could be associated with the challenges faced by Bangladesh’s textile sector.
The political landscape of Bangladesh has been in chaos since the former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, was deposed and compelled to seek refuge in India. This happened around August, following widespread demonstrations against her administration, led primarily by students. Following this political upheaval, Muhammad Yunus, the renowned Nobel laureate economist, stepped up to lead the nation’s provisional government.
Sarma went on to assert that while those attempting illegal entry, referred to as ‘infiltrators’, were being caught and turned away at Assam’s borders, these individuals were found to be Muslims, not part of Bangladesh’s minority Hindu community. On an average day, Sarma reported, Assam Police apprehend between 20 to 30 infiltrators, a trend also noticed in the neighboring state of Tripura.
Upon researching as to why this spike in illegal immigration was occurring, he states that, ‘[we found that] after the unrest in Bangladesh, the textile industry has virtually collapsed.’ The claim is that laborers from Bangladesh’s struggling textile industry are attempting to cross the border, presumably in search for better opportunities.
According to Sarma, several factory owners within India are encouraging this inflow of workers. He continued, ‘Once there was unrest in Bangladesh, the economy collapsed and the majority community suffered more than the minority community in Bangladesh. In the textile industry too, most of the labourers were from the majority community.’
The matter became a point of discussion during the North East Council plenary in Tripura in December and has been brought to the attention of the Union home ministry. Indian security forces managed to detain and push back approximately 1,000 undocumented immigrants since August 2024.
The Assam Chief Minister, who is a member of Bharatiya Janata Party, made an observation about Hindus that wanted to immigrate to India. He mentioned that those desiring to immigrate ‘must have migrated earlier, like 30-40 years ago’ and do not wish to abandon Bangladesh at present. ‘They must feel some kind of attachment to their home soil,’ he adds.
Sarma further emphasized, ‘They must be patriotic Bangladeshis. Despite facing immense adversity, they do not wish to leave Bangladesh as their ancestors have lived in that land. I believe it would be unwise for us to further encourage them to migrate to India.’
In the aftermath of the collapse of the Hasina government, there have been several reported incidents of violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh. In August, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, had appealed to Muhammad Yunus to ensure the safety and well-being of Hindus and other minority groups in Bangladesh.
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Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s interim leader, responded to these reports claiming that the accounts of attacks on religious minorities were exaggerated. Despite the political unrest causing multiple hardships for the majority of the population, the minorities, according to Yunus, are not getting targeted as frequently as reported.
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