Dr. S. Irudaya Rajan, Chair of the International Institute of Migration and Development in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, advocates a scientific and balanced approach to immigration in India, combining stringent border control with amnesty for immigrants based on economic and humanitarian criteria.
For decades, Indian politicians, particularly under the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have amplified claims of a massive influx of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants posing economic and security threats.
These assertions, often described as “scare-mongering” by critics, fuel fears that undocumented poor communities may be labelled as illegal immigrants, detained, and deported.
Leading Indian demographer, Dr. S.Irudaya Rajan disputes these claims, noting that estimates of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India lack scientific backing and are often politically motivated “guesstimates.”
Dr. Rajan, Chair of the International Institute of Migration and Development in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, advocates a balanced approach to immigration in India, combining stringent border control with amnesty for immigrants based on economic and humanitarian criteria.
He emphasizes that immigration is a natural phenomenon, urging policymakers to move beyond politically charged narratives and adopt data-driven, humane policies.
Wild Guesses
No official or universally accepted data exists. Historical figures vary widely: in 1997, then-Home Minister Inderjit Gupta cited 10 million; in 2001, the Task Force on Border Management estimated 15 million; in 2004, Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal quoted 12 million; and in 2016, Minister Kiren Rijiju and Congress politician Shashi Tharoor referenced 20 million, based on unofficial sources. A 2016 paper by former Research and Analysis Wing chief Sanjeev Tripathi also pegged the number at 15 million, using census data comparisons from 1981 to 2011.
The absence of centralized data collection exacerbates the issue. The 2012 Press Information Bureau (PIB) acknowledged that illegal immigrants sometimes obtain fraudulent ration cards, voter IDs, or driver’s licenses, but no comprehensive statistics are maintained.
State governments are tasked with data collection, yet efforts remain inconsistent.
Detection and Deportation
Deportation has been a continuous process, empowered by the Foreigners Act of 1946. Under the Congress-led government (2004–2014), Minister R.P.N. Singh claimed in 2018 that 82,000 Bangladeshi immigrants were deported.
The Modi government, with its stronger Hindu nationalist and security-focused stance, has intensified these efforts. In 2018, Union Home Minister Amit Shah controversially labelled Bangladeshi immigrants “termites.” States like Gujarat, Delhi, Assam, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan are actively identifying and deporting immigrants, often transporting them to border points in Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya for “push-back” by the Border Security Force (BSF).
In Assam, the BJP government has targeted Bengali-speaking Muslims, evicting them from government forest and grazing lands under the assumption they are Bangladeshis. The state has also paused issuing new Aadhaar cards pending citizenship verification, further complicating lives for many.
Complications
The 4,096-km India-Bangladesh border, spanning West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram, is notoriously porous despite partial fencing. Illegal crossings are facilitated by influential agents, informal networks, and corruption, making border control challenging. Diplomatically, the issue is sensitive. In a 2022 meeting, Bangladesh’s Border Guard (BGB) told India’s BSF that illegal immigration had decreased due to Bangladesh’s economic progress. Notably, in 2020–21, Bangladesh’s per capita income ($1,962) surpassed India’s ($1,935), challenging the narrative that poverty drives mass migration from Bangladesh to India.
Citizens for Justice and Peace
The advocacy group Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) debunked claims of tens of millions of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, finding no data to support them. Surprisingly, BSF and National Crime Record Bureau data reveal that more people are leaving India for Bangladesh than entering. From 2017 to 2019, the number of Bangladeshis caught leaving India rose from 821 to 2,971, while in 2020, 3,173 were apprehended exiting versus 1,115 entering illegally.
In India’s urban middle-class perception, Bengali-speaking, Muslim-looking workers—tailors, construction workers, or domestic helpers—are often presumed to be illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Yet, many hail from West Bengal (27% Muslim) or Assam (34% Muslim), where Bengali-speaking Muslim communities are significant. This misidentification has led to harassment.
Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose reported Delhi police arresting Bengali workers for speaking “Bangladeshi” (i.e., Bengali). West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee organized rallies to protest the persecution of Bengali-speakers in BJP-ruled states.
West Bengal’s Chief Secretary, Manoj Pant, raised concerns about similar harassment in Odisha. He wrote to his Odisha counterpart, urging him to put an end to “harassment” of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in certain parts of the neighbouring state. Migrant workers are “targeted because they speak Bengali, which is their mother tongue” and “unjustly labelled as Bangladeshis”. The labourers include daily-wage earners, rickshaw-pullers and domestic workers.
“We are receiving reports of such individuals being detained without due legal process in regions around Paradip and across coastal districts such as Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Malkangiri, Balasore and Cuttack. What is even more concerning is that, even when these persons produce valid identity documents, their claims are being dismissed,” Pant said.
“In many instances, they are being asked to produce ancestral land records, dating back to several generations, an unreasonable and unjustifiable demand for migrant workers,” he said. Trinamool Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam wrote on X saying “The Odisha authorities refused to accept any centrally issued identity documents like Aadhar and EPIC, and demanded verification from the Bengal government. We promptly provided the required details – verified and furnished by none other than the District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police of various districts. But, even that failed to satisfy them.” Islam said.
Referring to media reports that Bengali-speaking persons of West Bengal are being pushed to Bangladesh on suspicion that they hail from that country, Bengali economist and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, jokingly told Press Trust of India in Kolkata that there is a possibility that he might be sent back to Dhaka, where his family has roots.
The 2011 census shows 33.4 million Bengalis migrated to other states for work due to limited opportunities in West Bengal, making them easy targets for misidentification.
Natural Growth, Not Immigration
In Assam, Professor of Statistics, Abdul Mannan of Guwahati University argues that higher Muslim populations in certain districts reflect natural population growth, not immigration going by the number of children between aged 0 to 6.
Frequent flooding by the Brahmaputra River displaces communities, who are then resettled by the government but often labelled as Bangladeshi immigrants. For instance, CJP found that many evicted from Dholpur-Gorukhuti in Assam’s Darrang district were river-erosion refugees from Barpeta in Assam, and not Bangladesh.
Plea for Balanced Approach
Dr. Rajan proposes a dual strategy: robust border control paired with amnesty for certain immigrants based on economic and humanitarian grounds. He stresses the need for accurate demographic data, noting that immigration is just one facet of a country’s demographic profile, alongside fertility, mortality, and out-migration. Current figures on illegal immigration are unreliable and politically skewed.
Rajan argues that migration, including immigration, is a historical constant driven by economic factors. While India encourages out-migration, it resists immigration, a stance common across Asia. He advocates for recognizing the validity of migration and its potential benefits, urging a humanitarian approach without compromising security.
Amnesty as a Solution
Rajan suggests amnesty programs for select illegal immigrants, dispelling misconceptions that such programs grant automatic citizenship or encourage further illegal immigration. In Western models, amnesty involves stringent criteria and multi-step processes. Research indicates migration patterns are driven more by economic conditions and enforcement policies than by amnesty programs. Pairing amnesty with stricter border controls can address both humanitarian and security concerns, a balance often overshadowed by political and security priorities in South Asia.
India’s approach to immigration, particularly from Bangladesh, is mired in unverified claims and political rhetoric. Dr. Rajan’s call for data-driven policies, stringent yet humane border control, and selective amnesty offers a path forward. By acknowledging immigration as a natural phenomenon and addressing it with clarity and compassion, India can better navigate this complex issue, fostering both security and humanity.
- (This article appeared in Daily News, Colombo ,Dated August 26, 2025)