Bangladesh Summons Indian Envoy Over Assam CM Pushbacks

Bangladesh summoned India's acting High Commissioner to Dhaka, Pawan Badhe, on Thursday to protest remarks by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma about pushing back alleged illegal immigrants across the border.

The Foreign Ministry's Director General for South Asia, Ishrat Jahan, conveyed Dhaka's position during the meeting, describing Sarma's comments as disparaging to bilateral relations and urging restraint on sensitive issues. Officials emphasized that public statements without evidence undermine friendly ties and that unresolved matters should be handled through established bilateral mechanisms.

Sarma detailed the pushback process in an April 15 interview, explaining that India's Border Security Force detains suspected immigrants for 10 to 40 days while identifying border stretches without Bangladesh Border Guard presence. Authorities then escort individuals to those locations at night and send them across, he said. "In that place, they are shoved and sent back," Sarma stated. He cited a Supreme Court order authorizing district magistrates to evict suspected non-citizens, though the ruling does not specify the method. Sarma added that no location for expulsion is...