Through the border ‘push-ins’, the Indian authorities are creating a humanitarian crisis for which there appears to be no reasonable justification at present. So many people are arriving at the border; Bangladesh is not accepting them, nor are they able to return to India. Even when they do return, they are being kept in detention centres or various holding facilities.
From a humanitarian perspective, such actions are undesirable for all parties involved. India initiated this process, and therefore the responsibility for the situation rests with them.
Secondly, there appears to be a divergence in policy positions between New Delhi and West Bengal. Bangladesh and India already have a bilateral diplomatic framework to address issues relating to undocumented individuals between the two countries. The spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi has said that they are willing to work within this framework.
His position is reasonable. However, a different approach is being seen from West Bengal. Their stance is that they will detect, delete and then deport such individuals. Instead of working through the diplomatic framework, they are attempting to push these people into Bangladesh through an administrative process.
The current government in West Bengal has triggered this crisis. Its attempt to administratively push people into Bangladesh at its own discretion has created a humanitarian emergency. I would urge both India and Bangladesh to actively pursue a resolution through the established diplomatic framework. Any initiative outside that framework creates humanitarian crisis and generates new tensions between the two countries, as is already evident.
Protecting Bangladesh’s borders is the responsibility of the Bangladeshi government, and the current government is carrying out that duty. If India has any concerns regarding this issue, it can raise them through the diplomatic mechanism. The responsibility of the Bangladesh government would then be to verify the information and respond promptly so that both sides can reach a decision through dialogue and discussion.
However, the current practice of forcibly pushing people across the border is not part of any diplomatic framework, nor is it a proper means of managing relations between two countries. It is leading to increasing tensions. Noticeably, local residents in Bangladesh’s border areas are also joining the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in responding to the situation. When people from border communities become involved, it creates a risk of tensions escalating into conflict.
Since India and Bangladesh are neighbours and already have an established diplomatic framework, I believe that mechanism should be fully utilised. Any initiative outside that framework carries a greater risk of producing negative rather than positive outcomes. For the benefit of both countries, it is extremely essential to avoid such actions and refrain from pursuing such approaches.
* M Humayun Kabir is a former Bangladesh ambassador to the United States and president of the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI).