Bangladeshis living illegally in India, if any, to be taken back, says Foreign Minister Momen

If any Bangladeshi nationals are found to have been living in India illegally, they will be brought back, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said.

Amid raging protests over the controversial citizenship law across India, Momen said that New Delhi assured Dhaka of not forcing anybody into Bangladesh.

“If there is any illegal Bangladeshis living in India, they will be brought back to Bangladesh in due process,” the minister told reporters at an event in Sylhet on Tuesday.

India recently rolled out the NRC in Assam, sparking a fear of deporting those who were left off the citizens’ list. Because many politicians in Assam claimed that these people were from Bangladesh.

India's parliament later amended a law offering citizenship to non-Muslims. Many say the law is a part of the India’s government to marginalise the Muslims.

The law has already prompted widespread protests across India, worrying many people in Bangladesh. Thet BNP already came down heavily on the ruling Awami League for remaining “silent” over the issue.

The foreign minister reiterated that the NRC is internal issue of India. “It’s not worrisome,” he said.

Following the publication of the NRC in Assam, some incidents of pushbacks took place on the border area. 

However, Momen said, “India has already assured us that no one will be pushed back to Bangladesh. India has repeatedly said that no one will be forcibly sent back to Bangladesh.”