Overwhelming majority of Indian media and politicians, including from ruling BJP, always unjustly mention the presence of a large of number of ‘illegal Bangladeshis’ in Assam, but the central government in Delhi has never ever raised the issue during meetings at any level with Dhaka. Even during the recent home minister-level talks between Bangladesh and India on July 15 in Dhaka, the Indian side did not raise the issue ahead of the publication of the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam on July 30. It is feared by many including United Nations human rights experts that a significant number of Bangla-speaking Indian Muslims along with some Hindus will not be included in the NRC.

“Indian home minister Rajnath Singh did not raise the issue during the talks with me,” home minister Asaduzzaman Khan told The Independent on Friday night when his remarks were sought with regards to the NRC update and reference of Bangladeshis in the process.

“I also did not raise the issue because I did not feel the necessity of doing so because as far as Bangladesh is concerned, it is an Indian internal issue,” he said.

In the lead up to the publication of the NRC, Indian states neighbouring Assam have increased surveillance to prevent any influx from Assam. When home minister’s attention was drawn to the development, he said that Bangladesh is also prepared along the border to prevent any person illegally crossing the border. “Our border (with Assam) are not open…It is sealed,” he said. “I don’t think anything will happen. But, still we are prepared so that nobody can come to Bangladesh illegally,” he added.

Bangladesh has always maintained that the NRC update is an internal issue of India and that it has nothing to do it. On Tuesday, Bangladeshi high commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali made it quite clear. “The issue has not been raised at the official level by the government of India with the Bangladesh government at any stage,” he told journalists after a seminar in Kolkata.

“So, as of now this is an internal matter and I have seen conflicting positions of different Indian states on this particular issue and I will not interfere in an internal matter,” he added.

Dhaka is, however, unhappy with Delhi for allowing politicians and media to involve Bangladeshis with the process given the relationship both the countries enjoy.

“We expected much more of the Indian government on this issue,” a senior diplomat said. According to officials of the government, no large scale migration has taken place after the War of Independence or is taking place now from Bangladesh and Assam.

Bangla-speaking Muslims and Hindus have been living in Assam for centuries, they said. But, the officials admitted that from time to time, very few people cross the border from both the countries due to the unprotected nature of the border. If the government is notified about the presence of any Bangladeshis living illegally in India or any other country, they are brought back home after proper verification, they said.

About 50 such people will be brought back to Bangladesh from Assam within few days as their verification process is complete, they added.