‘Indian citizens pushed into Bangladesh at gunpoint’: Owaisi makes shocking claims; calls detention of Bengali-speaking Muslims ‘illegal’ | India News

NEW DELHI: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday criticised the detention and deportation of Bengali-speaking Muslim citizens across India, accusing the police administration of unfairly branding them as “illegal immigrants.” Taking a dig at the BJP-led central government, Owaisi alleged it was acting “strong with the weak” by going after the country’s poorest communities.Taking to social media platform X, Owaisi claimed that those being labelled as illegal immigrants were repeatedly targeted because they lacked the means to challenge police atrocities.“There have been disturbing reports of Indian citizens being pushed into Bangladesh at gunpoint,” said Owaisi in his post.“Police in different parts of India have been illegally detaining Bengali-speaking Muslim citizens and accusing them of being Bangladeshi. This government acts strong with the weak, and weak with the strong. Most of those who are accused of being “illegal immigrants” are the poorest of the poor: slum-dwellers, cleaners, domestic workers, rag-pickers, etc. They have been targeted repeatedly because they are not in a position to challenge police atrocities,” he added.In the same post, Owaisi also shared an image of an official order from the office of the District magistrate in Gurugram, which said that the state government has implemented a standard operating procedure (SOP) for deporting Bangladeshi citizens and Rohingyas. “Police do not have the power to detain people just because they speak a particular language. These wide-net detentions are illegal,” said Owaisi.The AIMIM chief’s statement came days after the Pune city police arrested five Bangladeshi women from the Budhwar Peth red-light area. Acting on a specific tip-off, officers from Faraskhana Police Station and the anti-human trafficking unit (AHTU) carried out a raid, reported ANI.The women, aged between 20 and 28, were found residing in India without valid documents and using fake identity cards. Investigations revealed that they had illegally entered India from Bangladesh, posed as West Bengal residents, and were allegedly involved in prostitution in Pune.The operation also exposed a human trafficking network that facilitated their illegal entry and stay in the country. Cases have been filed under the Immigration Act, Passport Act, and relevant provisions of human trafficking laws.Meanwhile, in Assam, the BJP-led state government is continuing its eviction drive against what it calls illegal encroachments on tribal land. State minister Atul Bora voiced full support for the initiative, saying it was essential to protect tribal belts from “doubtful people.”The Assam BJP on Tuesday reiterated that eviction drives will continue until all illegally occupied land is cleared, cited ANI.