Chicago – October 12, 2025
India has launched a forceful campaign to deport Muslims, including its own citizens, following a militant attack in Kashmir in April 2025 that killed 26 tourists. Authorities have expelled over 1,500 individuals to Bangladesh and Myanmar between May and June, often at gunpoint, according to Human Rights Watch and multiple media reports. Among those deported were Indian Muslims and approximately 100 Rohingya refugees, many of whom were removed without legal proceedings or due process.
One victim, Mustafa Kamal Sheikh, a 52-year-old Indian citizen from Mumbai, was detained despite presenting valid identification and nearly forced across the India-Bangladesh border before public outcry led to his return. Elderly and disabled Muslims, such as 62-year-old Hazera Khatun and 67-year-old Maleka Begam, were also subjected to violent treatment and threats of being shot if they refused to cross the border.
These actions are part of a broader crackdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, which has long targeted Muslims under the guise of removing “illegal infiltrators”.
Critics argue that the deportations serve to divert attention from the government’s failure to apprehend the militants behind the Kashmir attack while deepening anti-Muslim sentiment ahead of upcoming elections.
