By: Hafizur Rahman
31 July 2025. Human rights organization Fortify Rights has condemned the Indian government’s ongoing campaign of arbitrary arrests, detentions, and forced deportations targeting Rohingya refugees and Indian Muslim citizens, calling it a grave violation of international law and a threat to fundamental human rights.
Since May 2025, Indian authorities, particularly in BJP-ruled states, have intensified what they describe as a verification drive against “illegal immigrants.” However, Fortify Rights and other rights groups say the campaign has resulted in over 2,000 unlawful expulsions, affecting not only undocumented migrants but also Indian citizens and UNHCR-registered Rohingya refugees.
“India is stripping Indian Muslim citizens and Rohingya refugees of their rights,” said John Quinley, Director at Fortify Rights. “These acts reflect dangerous ethno-religious supremacism and must stop.”
Torture, Coercion, and Dehumanization
Eyewitness accounts and survivor testimonies paint a harrowing picture.
One Indian Muslim schoolteacher with valid citizenship documents reported being blindfolded, tortured, and dumped at the Bangladesh border without any explanation. Another said he was threatened with execution unless he falsely declared himself Bangladeshi.
Meanwhile, Rohingya refugees, many of whom had been living in India for years and were formally registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)—described being beaten, forced into false confessions, and told to “never return.”
Bangladeshi authorities have confirmed the arrival of at least 1,800 Rohingya refugees and Indian Muslims through border pushbacks in the past three months. In several cases, individuals were forced into rivers or the sea, made to swim across to reach Bangladeshi soil.
Violations of International Law
India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, yet it remains bound by customary international law, including the principle of non-refoulement, which strictly prohibits sending refugees back to countries where they may face persecution.
Fortify Rights emphasized that these mass expulsions breach not only international law but also India’s constitutional guarantees for its own citizens.
Broader Implications for Rohingya Safety
The forced deportations are especially alarming for Rohingya refugees, who face systematic persecution, torture, and violence in Myanmar, particularly under the junta and the Arakan Army. Returning them to Myanmar—or pushing them into stateless limbo- is tantamount to a death sentence for many.
Call for Accountability
Fortify Rights has called on the Indian government to immediately halt all deportations, ensure transparency in immigration procedures, and guarantee protection for Rohingya refugees and minority citizens facing religious discrimination.
They have also urged UN agencies and international actors to step up monitoring efforts and engage diplomatically with New Delhi to prevent further human rights violations.
