India has sent over a 1,000 diplomatic notes (notes verbale) and 456 “consolidated reminders” to Dhaka since September 2020 regarding the repatriation of suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants but has not received “an actionable response”, a diplomatic document has stated.
The numbers were mentioned in the note verbale that the External Affairs Ministry sent to Dhaka on April 30, hours after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh summoned the Indian envoy to protest against remarks made by Assam’s then Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. He had claimed in a media interview that under his government, Indian border guards were “pushing in” suspected Bangladeshi individuals through unguarded parts of the land border.
“It is of note that over 1,137 Notes Verbale seeking nationality verification and 456 consolidated reminders have been sent in this period,” the Ministry said in the diplomatic note of April 30, which The Hindu has reviewed.
2,862 cases
“A majority of these communications have not received an actionable response,” it said, adding that “Since September 2020 Bangladesh has not extended the necessary cooperation to India for nationality verification of over 2,862 cases of illegal Bangladeshis in India…”
It said “all measures undertaken by the Government of India for the repatriation of illegal Bangladeshi nationals are in adherence to Indian laws and procedures, in tandem with established bilateral arrangements”.
The Indian allegation of illegal Bangladeshi immigration was spotlighted on Thursday (May 7, 2026) when Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry, referred to the matter as the “core issue” in bilateral ties.
“These comments must be seen in the context of the core issue of repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis from India. This requires cooperation from Bangladesh. Over 2,862 cases of nationality verification are pending with Bangladesh, some for over five years,” Mr. Jaiswal said during a weekly press briefing.
He was responding to remarks by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed who had said that Dhaka would take “adequate measures” if attempts at “push in” from the Indian side were to take place, especially against the backdrop of the victory of the BJP in the Assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam. The issue of illegal immigration was raised aggressively by the BJP during the election campaign.
Significantly, the expression “core issue” was also used in the note verbale of April 30, which came just four days before the election results in the two States were declared. The note verbale urged the Bangladeshi authorities “to redirect focus of the concerned authorities in Bangladesh to addressing the core issue of pending verification and repatriation of all illegal Bangladeshi nationals in India”.