Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee demands end to 'linguistic terrorism' citing New York-based NGO report

Kolkata: Referring to a report by New York-based international human rights organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday strongly criticised the alleged deportation of Bengali-speaking Muslims from India without due process, calling it a "shame" for the country.

"The internationally reputed and New York-based multi-country NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has also now highlighted the issue of harassment, persecution, and illegal deportation of Bengali-speaking people of India by the BJP governments in various states," Banerjee posted on X.

"The human rights organisation has released a report saying what we have been saying: Bengali-speaking Indians (of different castes and communities) are being arbitrarily abused and pushed out in a concerted manner by the BJP establishment," the CM added.

The report was published with a New York dateline on July 23.

Quoting HRW Asia Director Elaine Pearson, Banerjee said the organisation has alleged that the BJP is fueling discrimination by arbitrarily expelling Bengali-speaking people, many of whom are Indian citizens.

"The BJP is fuelling discrimination by arbitrarily expelling Bengalis from the country, including Indian citizens. The authorities' claims that they are managing irregular migration are unconvincing," she added.

She claimed the HRW report stated that such deportations have been taking place systematically in the BJP-ruled States of Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Delhi, following a directive by the Ministry of Home, government of India.

"Shame!! Now, even international human rights organisations have started taking note of the linguistic terrorism unleashed in India. This must stop at once!!" she said.

The HRW is an NGO that conducts investigations and reports on abuses happening in all corners of the world. It partners with organisations, large and small, across the globe to protect embattled activists and to help hold abusers to account and bring justice to victims.

The HRW in its report has claimed that hundreds of Muslims were unlawfully expelled to neighbouring Bangladesh and even many Indian nationals were also pushed out without due process.

The NGO in its report has mentioned interviewing 18 people in June, including affected people and family members in 9 cases.

"Those interviewed include Indian citizens who returned to the country after being expelled to Bangladesh and family members of those who were detained and are still missing. On July 8, Human Rights Watch wrote to India's Ministry of Home Affairs with our findings but received no response," the report stated.

"The Indian government has provided no official data on the number of people expelled, but Border Guard Bangladesh has reported that India expelled more than 1,500 Muslim men, women, and children to Bangladesh between May 7 and June 15, including about 100 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. The expulsions have continued," the HRW report said.

"Authorities in the BJP-run states of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, and Rajasthan have rounded up Muslims, mostly impoverished migrant workers, and turned them over to Indian border guards. In some cases, the border guards allegedly threatened and beat the detainees to force them to cross into Bangladesh without adequately verifying their citizenship claims. The Indian government has had to readmit dozens of people who eventually proved their Indian citizenship," the report read.