Hagia Sophia: Monumental Heritage Or Construction Site? A Critical Look At The Crane Controversy – OpEd


The dome of the Hagia Sophia undergoing restoration, Istanbul, Turkey. 

Photo Credit: David Bjorgen, Wikimedia Commons

November 26, 2025 
By Haluk Direskeneli

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya), built in 532–537 under Emperor Justinian I, is more than a religious building. Its architects — Anthemios of Tralles and Isidoros of Miletos — designed a massive dome that was considered a marvel of engineering for its time. Later, in the 16th century, the Ottoman master architect Mimar Sinan recognized structural stresses in the building and added external support buttresses. Those interventions helped preserve Hagia Sophia’s stability over centuries.

Today, Hagia Sophia stands not just as a relic of ancient architecture, but as a preserved monument shaped by centuries of architectural care and engineering. The building’s survival is thanks to the original Byzantine design, Ottoman respect and reinforcement, and Sinan’s structural insights.

What’s Happening Now — and Why It Matters

Recently, photos and videos have shown heavy cranes and trucks inside Hagia Sophia’s interior, used for ongoing restoration and reinforcement work. Authorities say the equipment is needed to replace lead roofing on the main dome and to install internal supports for earthquake-strengthening work. They also claim that a multi-layer protective floor platform was installed to carry heavy loads.¹

Yet these developments have triggered serious concern among historians, architects and conservation specialists. The core issue: Hagia Sophia is not a modern building, but a complex historic structure with ancient masonry, layered floors, mosaics, and centuries-old structural elements.

Why Some Experts Are Worried

• Hagia Sophia’s floor is not a simple concrete slab. Beneath the surface there may be mosaics, old stone pavements, or even structural hollows — not ideal conditions for bearing heavy concentrated loads.²

• The “protective floor platform” whose installation is claimed has not been independently documented or publicly verified with detailed technical data. Some photos published show only simple flat panels, not a reinforced grid or load-distributing substructure.³

• Heavy machinery — cranes, trucks, loading/unloading operations — generates not only vertical load but also vibrations and dynamic stresses. In ancient masonry structures like Hagia Sophia, such stresses can cause micro-cracks, loosening of mortar joints, displacement of stone blocks or mosaics, and long-term structural weakening.⁴

• International standards of heritage conservation generally recommend minimal intervention and avoidance of heavy machinery in ancient monuments, especially when the original load-bearing logic is fragile or not fully known.⁵

The Key Question: Restoration — or Risk?

The issue is not restoration itself — which is often necessary in historic monuments — but how it is done. When a thousand-year-old architectural masterpiece becomes a temporary construction site, the risk is not only physical damage but also the loss of heritage value.

Hagia Sophia’s resilience over centuries depended on careful balancing of structure, materials and engineering. Each addition — from Byzantine masons to Ottoman builders to Sinan’s buttresses — respected that balance. Heavy cranes and modern vehicles inside the sacred space might disturb it.

What Should Be Done Instead

• Before proceeding, full independent structural and geotechnical analysis should be conducted: surveys of the floor, subsurface mapping (e.g. ground-penetrating radar), calculation of load-bearing capacity, and dynamic stress tests.

• Use of lighter, minimally invasive tools and methods — manual scaffolding, rope-and-pulley systems, small-scale lifts — should replace heavy cranes whenever possible.

• All restoration plans, engineering data and risk assessments must be shared transparently with heritage conservation experts and made publicly available.

• Restoration must adhere to international heritage conservation principles: prioritize protection, preservation, and minimal intervention over speed or convenience.

Hagia Sophia is not just a building. It is a living record of human history, faith, architecture and engineering brilliance spanning nearly fifteen centuries. Restoring it is a duty. But this duty must be carried out with utmost respect — not as a modern construction job, but as a careful conservation effort.

When cranes and trucks enter holy halls built by master architects of ancient and medieval times — the work is not mere maintenance. It becomes a test of whether heritage can survive modern engineering pressures, or whether it will be an irreversible loss.

The question is not “Can we restore it quickly?” — but “Can we preserve it safely, for a thousand more years?”

FootnotesAuthorities claim a multi-layer protective platform was installed on the floor to carry heavy loads safely.
Historic reports and conservation assessments indicate that beneath the visible floor of Hagia Sophia there are mosaics, old stone slabs and possible structural hollows.
Photographic evidence made public shows only flat floor panels; no detailed diagrams or structural subgrid have been shared.
Experts warn that the vibrations and dynamic loads from heavy machinery can lead to micro-cracks, loosening of mortar joints, displacement of structural stones, or damage to mosaics and decorative surfaces.
International heritage conservation norms emphasize minimal intervention and caution against heavy equipment inside ancient monuments.



Haluk Direskeneli

Haluk Direskeneli, is a graduate of METU Mechanical Engineering department (1973). He worked in public, private enterprises, USA Turkish JV companies (B&W, CSWI, AEP, Entergy), in fabrication, basic and detail design, marketing, sales and project management of thermal power plants. He is currently working as freelance consultant/ energy analyst with thermal power plants basic/ detail design software expertise for private engineering companies, investors, universities and research institutions. He is a member of Chamber of Turkish Mechanical Engineers Energy Working Group.

ICYMI

Rejecting comments by Vance and Musk, UK cathedral paints graffiti show as 'meaningful'

LONDON (RNS) — The exhibition is not the first time that English medieval cathedrals have resorted to unconventional installations to encourage visitors.

Parts of the “Hear Us” exhibition at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England. (Photo © Canterbury Cathedral)

Catherine Pepinster
October 15, 2025


(RNS) — A controversial exhibition of graffiti art opening Friday (Oct. 17) at one of Britain’s most famous medieval cathedrals has already attracted the ire of U.S. Vice President JD Vance and billionaire Elon Musk, both of whom called the show “ugly.”

Called “Hear Us,” the exhibition at Canterbury Cathedral, the seat of the Church of England’s primate, has tagged the 11th-century building’s stones with graffiti in easily removable paints. Created by representatives of marginalized U.K. communities, the inscriptions contain messages to God such as “Why did you create hate when love is by far more powerful?” and “Are you there?”

Vance, writing on X after seeing details of the exhibition preview, said the installation “had made a beautiful building really ugly.” Musk reposted Vance’s comment with the words “really ugly.”

They weren’t alone. Canterbury’s decision to install contemporary graffiti has shocked many on social media, with some churchgoers calling it sacrilegious.

As the mother church of the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion, Canterbury has attracted uncountable thousands of pilgrims since an earlier structure was built in 597. It gained further fame after Bishop Thomas Becket was martyred there in 1170. The appointment of the new archbishop of Canterbury, the Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullally, was announced at the cathedral a fortnight ago, and her installation will take place there in March.

While it is known throughout the Anglican Communion, many locals don’t feel the cathedral is a place for them, according to the exhibition’s curator, Jacquiline Creswell, and the graffiti exhibition is intended to invite more of Britain’s public into the sacred space. The artists featured are members of the Indian and Caribbean diaspora, neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ groups.

Part of the “Hear Us” exhibition at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England. (Photo © Canterbury Cathedral)

The dean of the cathedral, the Very Rev. David Monteith, called graffiti “the language of the unheard,” noting that even as it is often “an act of vandalism, division or intimidation,” it can also furnish “a way for the powerless to challenge injustice or inequity.”

“We could easily have rendered the questions to God as medieval-style calligraphy,” said Monteith, “neatly hung on canvas within the cathedral, but they would likely have gone unnoticed and unremarked upon — with few, if any, choosing to engage with the questions of faith and meaning at their heart.

The graffiti is also part of a long tradition of graffiti in the cathedral. The artisans and construction crews who worked the vaulting Gothic building left their own marks, while simple crosses make evident the faith of pilgrims.

A team of volunteers has been surveying the historic graffiti in the cathedral as part of a project begun in 2018, and this autumn it will be running tours of the masons and pilgrims’ work.

According to the British Pilgrimage Trust, a charity that encourages pilgrimage in the U.K., the older graffiti in cathedrals is highly popular with visitors. “Pilgrim graffiti is a cherished part of sacred heritage and many churches and cathedrals around Britain,” said the trust’s co-founder Guy Hayward, “with crosses carved into walls and doorframes and stone altars by pilgrims setting off on their long journeys, with one straight line for when they leave and one line to complete the cross on their return.

Parts of the “Hear Us” exhibition at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England. (Photo © Canterbury Cathedral)

“When I show pilgrim crosses to visiting pilgrims they often get more excited than with the more standard objects, as it personalizes and gives heart to the whole practice of pilgrimage,” said Hayward.

But the dean has acknowledged that public opinion has been split over the modern graffiti’s appearance in the cathedral. “Seeing this graffiti imagery juxtaposed against the cathedral’s stonework – much of which is covered with centuries-old scrawled religious markings and historic graffiti – is undoubtedly jarring and will be unacceptable for some,” he said.

“But rather than react just on the basis of a few online comments,” he added, “I would encourage people to come and experience the artworks for themselves and to make up their own minds. Rather than be distracted by the aesthetics of the graffiti lettering, I hope that people will want to think deeply about the questions posed within the artworks and experience the sense of meaningful encounter that we want all who come to the cathedral to have.”

The exhibition is not the first time that English medieval cathedrals have resorted to unconventional installations to encourage visitors. In 2019, a spiral slide known as a helter skelter was installed inside Norwich Cathedral, which was finished in 1145, drawing criticism. The cathedral staff said it made the space more welcoming and less intimidating. The same year, Rochester Cathedral installed a nine-hole mini-golf course in its nave in an attempt to draw young people.

Another popular venture for cathedrals has been the “silent disco,” a dance party whose participants listen to the music on headphones. Canterbury has already held one, and others are coming up in Chelmsford and Durham, the latter a renowned medieval cathedral with its shrine to St. Cuthbert.

Part of the “Hear Us” exhibition at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England. (Photo © Canterbury Cathedral)

The Very Rev. Philip Plyming, dean of Durham, said, “We host a range of events throughout the year, in which we welcome people who would not otherwise come to church, and which raise revenue to maintain our Norman building for future generations to enjoy. Durham Cathedral is one of the only major cathedrals which does not charge an entry fee to visitors, and revenue raising events are an important way of enabling us to maintain this commitment.”

Plyming said the cathedral’s “daily rhythm of worship and prayer” was not disturbed by the events, adding, “we are clear that we are primarily a place of pilgrimage, prayer and proclamation.”

The latest statistics for Anglican cathedrals for 2024 showed weekly attendance rose to 31,900, an increase of 11% compared with 2023. Visitor numbers surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the first time in 2024, reaching 9.87 million.

A spokesman for the Association of English Cathedrals said its members “are doubly pleased to support all the cathedrals in their endeavors to play their part in engaging with their communities where they are, and being a space for all people of all faiths and none, in whatever way and for whatever reason, especially as we continue to consolidate and grow our visitor and worshipping numbers back after the challenges of the pandemic.”

Pakistan’s agricultural sector and food security hit hard by flooding

/ jannet eldhose - Unsplash

FacebookTwitterLinkedInTelegramFlipboardFeedly

By bno - Mumbai Office September 25, 2025

Pakistan is grappling with the most severe flooding in over four decades in parts of Punjab, its agricultural heartland, with far-reaching consequences for food production, rural livelihoods, and the country’s export earnings. A new assessment by the Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring Initiative (GEOGLAM) finds that extensive losses to rice, maize, cotton and livestock, coupled with disruptions to upcoming wheat planting, will weigh heavily on farmers and food markets in the coming months.

Since late June, relentless monsoon rains and water releases from upstream dams in India have combined to inundate vast tracts of eastern Pakistan. Punjab has borne the brunt, with 2.9mn people evacuated and entire riverine communities displaced. Districts including Lahore, Sialkot and Gujrat experienced record water levels as the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers overflowed simultaneously. Further downstream, floodwaters have surged into Sindh, prompting evacuations of at least 150,000 people and raising the spectre of a “super flood” along the Indus.

Although floodwaters have begun to recede in parts of Punjab, large areas remain waterlogged. Damage to homes, infrastructure, livestock and food stocks is widespread, compounding hardship just two years after the catastrophic 2022 monsoon floods.

Crops under water

The timing of the floods has been particularly damaging for Kharif crops. Satellite analysis shows around 220,000 hectares of rice submerged between August 1 and September 16, mainly in Punjab’s Sialkot and Narowal districts. With Punjab accounting for over 65% of national rice output, losses will hit both rural incomes and export earnings, particularly in the premium Basmati segment.

The flooding struck as rice moved through critical growth stages such as flowering and grain filling, amplifying yield losses. While some crop recovery is visible as waters recede, the overall seasonal damage is likely to exceed estimates, given earlier submergence in June and July when replanting was not always possible.

Other crops have also suffered. Maize fields, vital for poultry feed, have been destroyed, while cotton, sugarcane, vegetables and orchards were left standing in floodwaters. With Punjab and Sindh together producing the bulk of maize and cotton, the economic toll is expected to ripple across value chains.

Attention is now turning to the upcoming Rabi season, which begins in late September with wheat sowing. Wheat is Pakistan’s staple, providing up to 70% of caloric intake, and Punjab produces over three-quarters of the crop. The floods have destroyed irrigation channels, delayed land preparation and washed away seed stocks, leaving many farmers ill-equipped for timely planting.

While wheat reserves from the 2024/25 harvest remain adequate—helped by a crop that was 5% above average—the concern is that disruptions to the 2025/26 season could tighten supply later in the year. Markets are already jittery. Wheat and flour prices in major cities surged by as much as 40% after storage facilities in Punjab were damaged. The provincial government has responded with a temporary ban on diverting wheat to feed mills, aimed at preserving household supplies.

Food security pressures

The floods have struck at a time when Pakistan was showing tentative improvement in food security. According to pre-flood analysis, around 10mn people faced acute food insecurity between April and July 2025, down from 11mn earlier in the year. GEOGLAM now warns of renewed pressures, particularly in rural areas where 60% of the population depends on agriculture.

Losses to rice—a cash crop and export earner—are expected to slash rural incomes, while the destruction of maize fields could drive up poultry feed prices, impacting meat and egg affordability. More than 6,500 livestock deaths, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, add to the blow for households that rely on animals for income, food and farm labour.

Still, unlike the devastation of 2022, when 2.6mn hectares of Kharif crops were lost, this year’s floods are expected to cause more localised and short-term food insecurity. Stronger macroeconomic fundamentals—higher foreign exchange reserves, a more stable rupee and easing food inflation—are providing some buffer.

Rainfall data show that eastern Pakistan has endured 150% to 200% of average seasonal rainfall this year, among the highest on record. The deluge has been fed not only by Pakistan’s own monsoon but also by extreme rains in northern India, swelling rivers that flow across the border. Forecasts suggest that while the monsoon is beginning to retreat, elevated rainfall could persist in Sindh and Balochistan into late September, sustaining flood risks.

For farmers and rural households, the floods are both an immediate shock and a long-term challenge. Disruptions to agricultural labour have already reduced incomes, though the Rabi season could bring new opportunities if planting proceeds. Lessons from 2022 suggest that coordinated government and donor support in supplying seeds and fertiliser will be vital to prevent lasting damage to wheat production.

The crisis underscores the fragility of Pakistan’s agricultural system, which remains heavily exposed to climate extremes, the report said. The increasing frequency of catastrophic monsoon floods threatens not only rural livelihoods but also the country’s food security and export competitiveness. With rice, maize and cotton all hit this year, the imperative for climate-resilient infrastructure, improved flood management, and diversified cropping systems has become more urgent.

For now, the scale of recovery will depend on how quickly waters recede, how effectively farmers can access inputs for the Rabi season, and whether relief measures can prevent the displacement of millions from cascading into a deeper food security crisis.

Over 3,000 Punjab schools damaged by floods

Imran Gabol 

Published September 26, 2025 

DAWN

• Education minister details efforts to make up for lost time; semester fees waived for flood-hit students

• Villages in Multan, Lodhran and Bahawalpur submerged after Noraja Bhutta breaches


LAHORE: Punjab Minister for School Education Rana Sikandar Hayat said on Thursday that 3,000 schools had been destroyed in the floods, severely affecting the education of thousands of students.

He was speaking during a meeting with Unicef’s Representative to Pakistan, Pernille Ironside, to discuss progress on various educational plans. The meeting also decided to strengthen cooperation for better outcomes.

The minister informed the Unicef representative that the school education department was facing immense challenges due to floods in the province.

He said that the department had already been facing a shortage of facilities, but the disaster had destroyed thousands of schools, many of which were still under water.

“The department is now confronted with the challenge of rehabilitating these schools,” he said, adding that three shifts were being started in functioning schools to meet the educational needs of displaced students.

The minister said that it would take around three months to rehabilitate the damaged schools. In the meantime, the government planned to rent private buildings and establish tent schools in flood-hit areas to ensure continuity of classes.

He added that the government had waived semester fees for students belonging to flood-hit areas and that scholarships would also be provided to them.

Several villages submerged

Meanwhile, despite official claims of receding floodwaters across Punjab, three breaches at the Noraja Bhutta embankment on the Sutlej River have led to catastrophic ponding, submerging several villages in the districts of Multan, Lodhran, and Bahawalpur for over a week.

The situation remains dire in the eastern areas of Jalalpur Pirwala, Lodhran and Bahawalpur, where villages, including Noraja Bhutta, Basti Lang, Kotla Chakar, Bahadurpur, Mouza Kanu, Kandeer, Jhaiyu, Deepal, Tarut Basharat, Daily Rajanpur, Belaywala, Dunyapur, Jhangra, Muradpur Soiwala and Sabra are surrounded by 8 to 10 feet of stagnant water. The relentless pressure has caused widespread destruction of homes and property.

“The water isn’t going down. About 70 per cent of houses have already collapsed, and the rest will follow if nothing is done,” said Altaf Lang, a distressed local resident. “The standing water has changed colour, and we are now seeing the spread of waterborne diseases. This is a health crisis in the making.”

Residents point to a major infrastructural obstacle: the nearby motorway. They allege that the culverts designed to allow water to pass underneath are insufficient and are instead acting as a dam, trapping the water on one side.

“The motorway isn’t usable for traffic now anyway. The authorities should breach it to let this water drain,” argued Altaf Lang. “The current culverts are not for water passage; they are just for locals and cattle to cross. They are completely blocked.”

NHA General Manager Kashif Nawaz told Dawn that there was no question of breaching the motorway and that water was passing through culverts underneath. He added that efforts were being made to secure the motorway by placing stones around vulnerable points, without closing the culverts.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2025

No rest for delivery riders amid Pakistan’s monsoon downpours

Pakistan, where 45pc of people live under poverty line, is among countries most vulnerable to climate change, with limited resources for adaptation.

AFP Published September 25, 2025

Abdullah Abbas waded through Lahore’s flooded streets, struggling to push his motorcycle and deliver a food order on time.

The water had risen to his torso, his jeans soaked and rolled up over sandals, leaving him vulnerable to electrocution and infectious diseases.

Even as monsoon rains deluge Pakistan’s cities, food and grocery orders on the Singapore-based delivery platform Foodpanda pour in.

“If I don’t deliver the orders, my Foodpanda account will get blocked, which would leave me without money,” Abbas told AFP in the old quarter of Lahore, known for its narrow, congested streets.

“I need this money to pay my high school fees,” added the 19-year-old, who is completing his last year of secondary school.

Since June, monsoon rains in Pakistan have killed more than 1,000 people, swelling major rivers and devastating rural communities along their banks.

Urban centres such as Lahore, a city of more than 14 million people, and Karachi, the country’s largest city with more than 25 million people, have also suffered urban flooding in part because of poorly planned development.



Abbas earns around $7 a day, above the average salary, but only when the sun is shining.

To meet the average monthly pay of around $140, he was to work seven days a week for over 10 hours, fitted around his studies.

“Customers behave rudely and you have to handle all the stress,” added Muhammad Khan, a 23-year-old Foodpanda rider, as he carefully navigated his motorbike through Karachi’s muddy, pothole-ridden roads.

Pakistan, where 45 per cent of people live below the poverty line, is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with limited resources dedicated to adaptation.
‘Stressful’

By the middle of August, Pakistan had already received 50pc more monsoon rainfall than last year, according to disaster authorities, while in neighbouring India, the annual rains kill hundreds every year.

While South Asia’s seasonal monsoon brings rainfall that farmers depend on, climate change is making the phenomenon more erratic.


In this photograph taken on August 30, 2025, Abdullah Abbas, a food delivery rider for the Singapore-based company Foodpanda, pushes his bike through a flooded street after heavy rainfall in Lahore. — AFP/ Aamir Qureshi

A report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said brown water inundating city streets is not only the result of climate change but “clogged drains, inadequate solid waste disposal, poor infrastructure, encroachments, elitist housing societies.”

Doctors warn that working repeatedly in damp conditions can cause fungal infections and flu, while exposure to dirty water can spread eye and skin infections.

Gig economy workers attached to delivery apps such as Foodpanda and ride-hailing apps Bykea and InDrive, made up nearly two per cent of Pakistan’s labour force or half a million people in 2023, according to Fairwork, a project by the University of Oxford.

Fairwork rated six digital labour platforms in the country, and all of them have the “minimum standards of fair work conditions”.

The International Labour Organisation, meanwhile, says gig workers lack government protection and face systemic violations of international labour standards.

Motorbike rider Muneer Ahmed, 38, said he quit being a chef and joined Bykea to become “his own boss”.

“When it rains, customers try to take rickshaws or buses, which leaves me with no work,” said Ahmed, waiting anyway on the side of the flooded street.

“Rain is a curse for the poor,” he said, watching the screen of his phone for a new customer.

Daily wage labourers, often working in construction, also see their work dry up.

It has been nearly four days since labourer Zahid Masih, 44, was hired, he told AFP while taking refuge under a bridge with other masons in Karachi.

“Jobs do come up, but only after the rain stops. There is no work as long as it is raining,” says the father of three.

“Sitting idle at home is not an option, as our stoves won’t be lit.”

Header Image: In this photograph taken on August 30, 2025, Abdullah Abbas (C), a food delivery rider for the Singapore-based company Foodpanda, wades through a flooded street under a railway bridge after heavy rainfall in Lahore. — AFP/ Aamir Qureshi

Rebuilding greener

Gulmina Bilal Ahmad 

Published August 24, 2025

DAWN

THE monsoon clouds that break over Pakistan every year bring death and devastation. Deadly floods have become an annual ritual. Roads drown. Crops are inundated. People die. The Hilal-i- Ahmer representative in Buner told me: “We have run out of shrouds.” And yet, year after year, Pakistan’s response doesn’t go beyond the usual, ie, emergency aid, military helicopters, donations, photo ops and prayers — followed by radio silence until the next year.

This cycle of death won’t be broken by charity but by skill and enforcement. Specifically, by giving a new generation of Pakistanis revitalised technical vocational education and training (TVET) and strictly enforcing measures against encroachment. We can’t stop the rains but we can build better defences and rebuild greener. For all of this, we need skilled people who know how to work with nature, not against it.

Pakistan is among the top 10 countries most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Monsoon patterns are shifting, glaciers are melting faster. But vulnerability isn’t only about nature. It is about how we build our homes, how much we encroach and how we manage our rivers and grow our food. Our rural infrastructure is outdated, cities have poor drainage and construction is compromised. Deforestation goes unchecked and waste clogs natural waterways. What’s missing isn’t just money or enforcement but also skills — in particular green skills.

Green skills supporting environment sustainability aren’t only for scientists or policymakers. They are practical, hands-on abilities: installing solar panels, maintaining water pumps, building flood-resistant housing, managing forests, running early warning systems, designing efficient irrigation and restoring wetlands. There is a need for green technicians in districts — local builders who know how to construct elevated homes with proper drainage, agriculture workers trained in climate-smart farming techniques, electricians who can instal off-grid solar systems, welders who can reinforce bridges and plumbers who can fix water leaks, thus preventing contamination during floods.

We need skilled people who know how to work with nature.

We are on our way to doing it by conducting curriculum reform and instructor training in the TVET sector. The focus is on curriculum-infused climate resilience, disaster-risk reduction, renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. In the aftermath of the 2022 floods, grassroots organisations launched small-scale reconstruction efforts. For instance, in Sindh, local masons trained in flood-resilient construction techniques to help rebuild homes on raised platforms using lime-stabilised earth blocks — a traditional and sustainable method that had been abandoned. However, these efforts were sporadic and not mainstreamed.

We need to institutionalise these approaches. Every rebuilding project should double as a training opportunity. Every flood-affected area should become a green skills classroom. Recovery isn’t just about rebuilding what was lost — it is about building back better, smarter and greener.

Pakistan needs a national green skills corps to recruit and train young people in climate adaptation and green technology, and then deploy them in vulnerable regions. Much like national service programmes in other countries, this would give young Pakistanis a purpose, a paycheck and a path forward while helping the country fortify itself against future disasters. The corps should work with local TVET institutes, NGOs and government bodies to run rapid training and deployment cycles. It will be a force multiplier for climate action and a powerful symbol of national resilie­-nce.

This isn’t just ab­­out Pakistan. Glo­bally, the demand for green skills is exploding. Accor­d­ing to the ILO, the transition to a gre­en economy could create 24 million new jobs by 2030. Countries that equip their workforce for this shift will have a competitive edge. Those that don’t will fall behind. Pakistan has the demographics — young, eager workers. It has the need — climate disasters. And it has the moment — post disaster reconstruction, which would provide an opening for structural reform. Foreign aid will always be reactive and not enough. It should never be the foundation of our national climate strategy.

We need to build our own capacity, train our own people and solve our own problems. A green TVET revolution will save lives. It will protect communities and give young Pakistanis a stake in the fight for their future. Climate change is here to stay. So are floods. The question is: will we keep drowning or will we learn to swim? The answer lies not just in our policies, but in polytechnic. Not just relief tents but in classrooms. Not just in plans but in skills.

The writer is the chairperson of National Vocational and Technical Training Commission.

chairperson@navttc.gov.pk

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2025

Bracing for impact

Dr Noman Ahmed 

Published August 23, 2025

DAWN

MONSOON rains, cloudbursts, landslides and flash floods have wreaked havoc in KP, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Since mid-August, harsh weather conditions have left hundreds of people dead, while uprooting thousands from their homes. Rescuers themselves have faced losses, as when a KP government helicopter crashed during rescue operations, apparently due to bad weather, killing all on board. Properties, livelihood assets, settlements and infrastructure have all been harmed.

The federal and provincial governments are taking steps to deal with the situation by announcing rehabilitation and redevelopment works. The call of the hour is to prioritise actions according to what people need most urgently. Rescue, relief, rehabilitation and redevelopment is the usual sequence followed. Additionally, if one goes by the principles of disaster management planning, the repair of highways and other corridors of communication should be a top priority. After immediate measures for controlling flash floods, such as reinforcement of embankments, are taken, a comprehensive assessment of the losses sustained is essential.

Mapping and categorising the damage are the first steps. During this stage, reconnaissance surveys are carried out by IT tools such as Geographical Information Systems, Land Information System and other cartographical aids. As earlier satellite images can easily be accessed through software, a ‘before’ and ‘after’ comparison can give an accurate picture of the disaster scenario. Undertaking detailed analyses of the damage and its causes is necessary to reconstruct the picture and understand locational faults.

For instance, engineers in some parts of Swat say that many tourist hotels were located dangerously close to the river. The poor quality of construction did not help. Hence, they were washed away. Similarly, several embankments were sloppily bolstered, which caused water to penetrate them. The difference in levels between the settlements and the surrounding roads was another reason for the inundation of hamlets, villages and even towns. In many cases, there was no provision of land/ surface drainage.

Prompt measures could have minimised the disaster impact.

Flawed infrastructure development also contributed to the destruction. Buner is an example. It is a largely rural district. Being at a higher altitude, it has been the worst hit due to the gushing water emanating from very heavy rains.

The next step is to assess pre-warning systems for the mobilisation of residents towards safer ground and the protection of people’s assets. The Met Department has been prompt and efficient in flashing warning signals and conveying relevant information to the public and the authorities. However, action by local institutions has been slow — sometimes coming after the damage that prompt rescue efforts could have prevented. Relief work is expected from the federal agencies including army contingents. No doubt, the role played by these agencies is extremely useful, but they can only come after a state of emergency is reached.

In any disaster situation, the first few days — even hours — are important. If warnings are received, the administration must transfer the people and their moveable assets to safer locations. Prior demarcation of high points, access roads and the provision of a basic infrastructure in these rescue nests should be undertaken as a routine municipal assignment.

Evidence from the outskirts of Buner and Swat has shown that the public’s haphazard and disorganised response was due to lack of education and awareness. Many communities resis­ted evacuation, wai­ting for a last-minute miracle. By com­municating the real hazards of impending disasters in an effective manner, the people can be persuaded to mobilise quickly. Local government offici­als, pesh imams and school teachers can act as catalysts in this respect.

Besides, efforts must be made to make available studies related to catastrophes and disaster prevention and safety at schools. This is a norm which is widely practised in disaster-prone areas such as Japan. Unless personal actions synchronise with the demands of the emerging situation, the damage will not be controlled.

A vital issue is the local capacity of dealing with disasters. At the level of the union council and tehsil, it is important that staff is trained in emergency duties. This may comprise routine civil defence training, labour supervision skills, elementary construction and engineering awareness, usage of basic machinery such as bulldozers, excavators, tractors and dumpers, etc. And Buner, where much of the population is not literate, must work very hard to scale up education levels. Disaster response only delivers when people understand the science behind it.

The writer is an academic and researcher based in Karachi.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2025

Flood lessons

Editorial 

Published August 22, 2025  

DAWN

PRIME MINISTER Shehbaz Sharif’s lament in Buner on Wednesday — that Pakistan did not heed any lessons from the 2022 floods — is as apt as it is tragic. His words echo the frustration of a people once again mourning hundreds of lives lost and thousands displaced by rains that have battered KP, Gilgit-Baltistan, Karachi and beyond. However, while Mr Sharif was right to highlight the folly of unchecked construction on floodplains and riverbanks, describing it as a “human blunder”, the crisis runs much deeper. Climate change has been amplifying the destruction that has come from decades of poor governance.Pakistan, unfortunately, sits on the front lines of climate vulnerability. Glaciers in the north are melting in fragile valleys, while unpredictable monsoons unleash heavy rains on already soaked plains. Deforestation, particularly in KP, has stripped hillsides of the natural barriers that once slowed floods and prevented landslides. Trees that could have absorbed water and anchored soil have been felled for timber or cleared for unregulated development. The result is not only devastation in rural areas but also risks for cities, where clogged drains and crumbling infrastructure leave millions exposed to urban flooding.

The government must step up to the task. These are not seasonal aberrations. They are our permanent new reality. We must invest in better early-warning systems, including real-time monitoring of glacial lakes and rainfall patterns, to give vulnerable communities a chance to evacuate. Urban centres are in dire need of investment in drainage, waste management and flood-resilient housing. Rural areas need embankments and restoration of tree cover. Above all, laws must be enforced against hotels, housing and roadside markets on riverbanks, regardless of any clout behind them. The PM’s call for a ban on construction in hazardous zones, and for a national movement against deforestation, is welcome. But Pakistan has heard similar promises before. What has been missing so far is the political will to follow through consistently, across provinces and beyond electoral cycles. As Mr Sharif admitted, corruption and influence in building permits remain rampant. Unless these are curbed, no assurance will carry any meaning. Pakistan cannot afford to spend its meagre resources repeatedly rebuilding what could have been protected in the first place. If the state is serious about enforcing the law, then flood resilience must be the first test.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2025

 

Deported in Silence: Mass Expulsion of Alleged Bangladeshis Without Due Process

Tanya Arora | 04 Jul 2025  NewsClick

• 
  
• 
  

Since May 7, over 2,000 individuals—mostly Bengali-speaking migrants—have been rounded up and covertly deported, bypassing legal safeguards. Growing backlash from courts and state governments has begun to challenge the legality, profiling, and human cost of this.

Image: AFP

Since May 7, when the Union Government launched Operation Sindoor, a massive, coordinated crackdown has led to the detention and covert deportation of over 2,000 individuals suspected of being undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants. These so-called “pushbacks” — many reportedly carried out without any judicial oversight or deportation orders — have spanned across the country, raising grave questions about legality and human rights.

According to sources in The Indian Express, the operation began following a nationwide verification exercise and has seen immigrants rounded up from states as far apart as Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Assam, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Goa. Most of them are then flown by Indian Air Force aircraft to border states such as Tripura, Meghalaya, and Assam — where they are held in makeshift camps, handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF), and “pushed back” across the border into Bangladesh, often within hours.

A senior government official confirmed to The Indian Express that Gujarat initiated the first round of detentions and currently accounts for nearly half of all deportations. “All states with major economic hubs are identifying such illegal immigrants after document verification. The instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs are clear — the states are complying,” the official said, noting that the crackdown accelerated after the April Pahalgam attacks.

But the scale and method of these deportations suggest clear departures from legal norms. Under Indian law and international obligations, deportation must follow due process — including formal orders, access to legal aid, and verification by Foreigners Tribunals or equivalent mechanisms. None of this appears to be happening in these pushbacks.

The BSF, according to reports in The Hindu, has pushed back over 1,200 people from just one sector of the West Bengal-Bangladesh border. Delhi Police alone has deported at least 120 people since January, followed by Maharashtra (110), Haryana (80), Rajasthan (70), Uttar Pradesh (65), Gujarat (65), and Goa (10). Many of these individuals were transported in secrecy and denied access to legal representation.

Several were reportedly handed some Bangladeshi currency and food before being left at the border, a practice that not only flouts legal protections for non-citizens but also risks statelessness and chain deportations. Alarmingly, a significant number of people, fearing arrest, are voluntarily approaching border regions in panic, indicating the deep fear triggered by the nationwide campaign.

These coordinated actions across states, in the absence of transparent procedures, point to a disturbing trend: a pan-India, informal deportation regime operating outside the bounds of the law, with little accountability or oversight.

1. Uttar Pradesh: 90 alleged Bangladeshi Nationals detained from Mathura kilns amid state-wide deportation drive

On May 17, police in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura district detained 90 individuals—suspected Bangladeshi nationals—including 35 men, 27 women, and 28 children, from Khajpur village under the Nauhjheel police station. The detentions were part of an identity verification drive targeting migrant labourers working in the area’s brick kilns.

According to Mathura SSP Shlok Kumar, the detainees claimed they had been living in Mathura for the past 3–4 months and had migrated there from a neighbouring state. “All of them are being interrogated, and other investigative agencies have also been roped in,” he told ANI, suggesting that legal proceedings may follow. However, no clarity has been provided on whether these individuals were produced before a magistrate or allowed access to legal aid, raising due process concerns.

The detentions align with a larger, intensified campaign launched by the Uttar Pradesh government to identify and deport what it calls “infiltrators” — targeting primarily Bangladeshi and Rohingya communities residing in the state. Officials have also indicated that action had earlier been taken against Pakistani nationals, and similar efforts are now directed at undocumented Bangladeshi and Rohingya residents.

According to the report of Indian Express, state-wide directive from the Chief Minister’s Office has instructed all District Magistrates, SSPs, and Police Commissioners to accelerate the identification and removal of undocumented migrants, particularly in areas where many are believed to be living under changed or forged identities. Simultaneously, authorities have begun operations against so-called illegal settlements and unauthorised structures, especially in districts bordering Nepal.

The Uttar Pradesh government has publicly claimed to be the first in the country to achieve the deportation of all undocumented Pakistani nationals. “The Chief Minister himself oversees the process,” said a CMO statement, as per the ANI report.

While the state presents this as a national security achievement, rights advocates warn that such sweeping actions, especially those involving families with children, may sidestep critical legal safeguards, including the right to a fair hearing, protections under the Foreigners Act, and India’s obligations under international human rights law.

Uttar Pradesh’s operation is just one piece in a growing national trend that appears to be functioning as a shadow deportation regime, with opaque procedures, little to no judicial oversight, and significant risk of wrongful or arbitrary expulsions.

2. Delhi: 700 alleged undocumented migrants deported under ‘pushback’ drive

In the last six months, nearly 700 undocumented migrants have been deported from Delhi to Bangladesh as part of the Union government’s intensified “pushback” strategy, according to a report by The Indian Express. The pace of deportations notably accelerated in the wake of the April Pahalgam terror attack, triggering a capital-wide verification and detention campaign.

Following the attack, the Delhi Police launched a coordinated drive and identified around 470 individuals as undocumented Bangladeshi nationals, along with 50 foreigners who had overstayed their visas, The Indian Express reported. These individuals were then flown from the Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad to Agartala in Tripura, from where they were deported via land routes across the Bangladesh border.

Police sources revealed that 3–4 special flights were used over the past month for transporting the detainees. According to The Indian Express, Delhi Police also set up around five makeshift detention centres, coordinated with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), and arranged the transfers with the Border Security Force (BSF).

On May 16, thirteen Bangladeshi nationals, including five minors, were detained in Auchandi village in outer Delhi for allegedly living without valid documents, according to an ANI report. They were apprehended during a targeted operation following intelligence inputs, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam. On interrogation, the detainees reportedly admitted to being Bangladeshi citizens without any legal documentation permitting them to stay in India.

A week later, on May 23, the Delhi Police detained 121 Bangladeshi nationals suspected of unlawful residence in the capital and initiated deportation proceedings through the FRRO, according to The Hindu. In the same operation, five Indian nationals were questioned for allegedly facilitating the illegal entry and stay of these foreign nationals. A case was registered at Narela Industrial Area police station under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 14 and 14C of the Foreigners Act, 1946.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe a suspected syndicate that is believed to have assisted in providing accommodation, jobs, and forged Indian identity documents to the immigrants. Authorities are now examining suspected fabrication of Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, and electricity meter connections, and have issued notices to relevant departments. Legal action has been promised against any official found complicit.

These developments mark a sharp escalation in Delhi’s deportation efforts and reflect the broader national push under Operation Sindoor to track, detain, and remove undocumented migrants, often through processes lacking judicial oversight.

3. Delhi-Ghaziabad: Mass deportations continue as government allegedly sidesteps due process

On Sunday, May 25, around 160 undocumented Bangladeshi migrants, including women and children detained from outer Delhi, were airlifted from Ghaziabad’s Hindon Air Base to Agartala in Tripura to be deported to Bangladesh, according to a report by The Hindu.

Officials told the newspaper that the transfer was in line with the Indian government’s directive to expedite deportations without waiting for formal processes, which are often “lengthy.” This reflects a growing trend of informal and accelerated removals, especially following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

Since the attack, more than 500 individuals have reportedly been sent back through India’s eastern border. Across the country, police forces have been conducting verification drives to identify alleged undocumented immigrants. Once detained, the migrants’ biometrics are recorded, and any Indian identity documents, such as Aadhaar cards, are cancelled. These biometrics are reportedly used to prevent re-entry and re-enrolment in Indian systems.

After biometric capture, the migrants are handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) and pushed back across the border. The Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a letter sent on May 8, raised concerns over these forced entries and called on India to respect formal repatriation mechanisms.

Earlier, on May 4, two Air India planes transported around 300 undocumented migrants, including 200 women and children who had been detained in Gujarat, to Agartala. They were subsequently sent across the border to Bangladesh.

At a press conference on May 26 in Dhaka, Brigadier General Md. Nazim-ud-Daula of the Bangladesh Army condemned these deportations as unacceptable “push-ins.”

In just one month since the Pahalgam incident, Delhi Police identified and deported 470 undocumented Bangladeshi nationals and 50 foreign overstayers, flying them from Hindon to Tripura before pushing them across the land border.

An officer from Delhi Police told The Hindu that the Ministry of Home Affairs had instructed city police as early as late 2024 to begin verification drives targeting Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants. Between November 15, 2024, and April 20, 2025, about 220 undocumented migrants and 30 overstayers were identified, taken by train and road to eastern states, and deported via land borders through the FRRO.

However, after the Pahalgam attack, the process intensified. “Over the last one month, around 3–4 special flights went from Hindon air base to Agartala,” a senior officer said. In total, about 700 individuals have been deported from Delhi over the past six months, he added.

Initially, Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) from all 15 districts were tasked with identifying undocumented Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants. A first battalion of Delhi Police, along with FRRO officials, would accompany detainees via rail and road to West Bengal, from where the BSF completed the deportation process, according to a government source cited by The Hindu.

4. Gujarat: Over 1,000 detained in state’s largest crackdown, hundreds airlifted and pushed back across border

On April 26, Gujarat Police executed what officials described as the state’s largest-ever operation targeting undocumented migrants, detaining 1,024 suspected Bangladeshi nationals, 890 in Ahmedabad and 134 in Surat, amid allegations of fake documents and criminal activity, as per Deccan Herald. The state Home Minister hailed the operation as a “historic victory,” warning that those harbouring such individuals would face strict action, and confirming plans to swiftly deport the detainees, as per the report of Hindustan Times.

Just over a week later, on May 4, two Air India flights carried some 300 of the detained migrants, including around 200 women and children, to Agartala in Tripura. From there, they were “pushed back” across the land border into Bangladesh, bypassing lengthy legal deportation procedures, as per the HT report.

These actions followed a directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs after the Pahalgam terror attack, streamlining mass deportations with rapid airlifts and border pushbacks, according to Times of India report. Authorities have flagged concerns about detainees’ alleged links to drug and human trafficking ring, and even extremist sleeper cells, as justification for the sweeping operation, as per the New Indian Express.

The Gujarat operation, which involved specialized units from Ahmedabad Crime Branch, SOG, EOW, and local police divisions, also uncovered widespread use of forged IDs sourced from West Bengal, a network that is now under investigation as per the Indian Express report.

These developments underscore a troubling trend: a coordinated and expedient deportation campaign that circumvents due process, with authorities opting for air-bridge removals and cross-border pushbacks in lieu of formal court procedures.

5. Rajasthan: 1,000 marked for deportation as Indian migrant workers from Bengal detained for “Speaking Bengali”

On May 14, 2025, Rajasthan’s Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel announced that around 1,000 suspected Bangladeshi nationals had been identified across the state. Speaking in Jaipur, he confirmed that the first group of 148 detainees had been moved to Jodhpur and then flown to Kolkata, from where they would be deported to Bangladesh. According to The Hindu, most of these individuals were originally detained in Sikar district, and the Village Development Officers’ Training Centre in Jodhpur had been temporarily converted into a holding facility for the deportation process.

As per the report, Patel further stated that the state would continue similar operations in the coming days to facilitate further removals.

However, the state’s aggressive crackdown also resulted in wrongful detentions. On May 13, Rajasthan Police released 13 migrant workers, including children and two families from Cooch Behar, West Bengal, who had been held for nine days on suspicion of being Bangladeshi infiltrators, solely because they spoke Bengali. The group had been picked up by personnel from the Patan Police Station in Sikar district, and were detained in a guest house under police watch, despite being Indian citizens.

According to The Telegraph, their release came only after sustained communication from West Bengal government officials, who intervened when alerted by concerned families and local leaders. Samirul Islam, a TMC Rajya Sabha MP and head of the Bengal government’s migrant worker welfare board, confirmed that state officials had been in touch with their counterparts in Rajasthan to secure the workers’ release. A senior Cooch Behar official reportedly called Rajasthan Police directly, following which the detainees were let go.

Obaydul Khandakar, a resident of Purba Jaigir Balabari village in Cooch Behar’s Dinhata-II block, who had been detained along with his wife Beauty Bibi, told the newspaper: “Despite being Indian citizens, we were detained for nine days just because we spoke Bengali.” The families had been working at a brick kiln near Sikar and returned there after their release. Khandakar said he planned to settle his dues and was now uncertain about returning to Rajasthan for work, shaken by the experience.

6. Tripura: Over 2,800 arrested for illegal entry since 2022 amid ongoing crackdown

On June 9, the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Tripura arrested one Bangladeshi national and one Indian tout during separate operations at Agartala railway station, according to a report by EastMojo. In the first incident, Pranajit Ray (35), a resident of Sylhet district in Bangladesh, was intercepted during a joint operation conducted by the GRP, Railway Protection Force (RPF), Border Security Force (BSF), and other agencies. Police said he had illegally crossed the border and was planning to travel to Kolkata. “We seized some documents and Indian currency. We are examining these,” an officer told the outlet.

In a separate case, an Indian trafficker from Chanipur in West Tripura district was also arrested as part of a similar joint operation.

The arrests come amid a growing number of detentions in the state. Between January 1 and February 28, 2024, a total of 816 Bangladeshi nationals, 79 Rohingya, and two Nigerians were arrested in Tripura, according to the Tripura Police’s own data cited by EastMojo.

Additionally, Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, who also holds the Home portfolio, recently informed the Assembly that 2,815 Bangladeshi nationals were arrested for illegally entering Tripura between 2022 and October 31, 2024. Out of these, 1,746 were “pushed back” across the border, while 1,069 remained either in jail, temporary detention centres, shelter homes, or out on bail, as per a report by The Indian Express.

7. Maharashtra: Four alleged Bangladeshi nationals held in Pune following military intelligence tip-off

In Maharashtra, four suspected Bangladeshi nationals were detained from a labour camp in Pune’s Khondwa area on June 13 in a joint operation conducted by the police and Military Intelligence, according to a report by The Hindu. The arrests were made following a tip-off from the Southern Command of Military Intelligence, which led authorities to intercept the individuals as they were allegedly attempting to flee the area.

Upon preliminary verification, the four men were identified as Swapan Mandal, Mithun Kumar, Ranodhir Mandal, and Dilip Mondal, and were found to be citizens of Bangladesh. Defence sources cited in the report confirmed that the individuals will undergo joint interrogation by multiple agencies.

8. West Bengal: Seven alleged Bangladeshi nationals caught trying to return home after years in India

On Saturday, seven alleged Bangladeshi nationals, including three women, were apprehended by police in Nadia district of West Bengal while attempting to cross back into Bangladesh after reportedly spending four years working in various Indian cities, according to a report by Hindustan Times.

“These individuals had entered India illegally through the North 24 Parganas border around four years ago and have since worked in Mumbai, Delhi, and several cities in Gujarat,” said Somnath Jha, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Border), Ranaghat Divisionm as per the HT report. They were caught in the Hanskhali police station area, the same location where another Bangladeshi woman was arrested earlier last week. She had reportedly entered India in 2024 and also worked in Mumbai.

The arrested individuals are said to be from Khulna, Jessore, Cox’s Bazar, and Kushtia districts in Bangladesh. According to officials, the group was attempting to return to Bangladesh with the help of an agent who is currently absconding.

With these arrests, the total number of alleged Bangladeshi nationals detained in various districts of West Bengal since December 2023 has reached approximately 100, as per police estimates. The Border Security Force (BSF) and other agencies have stepped up surveillance along the Indo-Bangladesh border since 2024 in response to the ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh.

State Pushback: When governments step in to stop unlawful deportations

While the Union government’s crackdown on undocumented migrants has unfolded across states with unprecedented coordination and speed, a few state governments have pushed back, not against migrants, but against what they allege are unlawful deportations of Indian citizens. In rare but telling instances, state authorities have intervened to halt or reverse deportations, particularly where those detained turned out to be bona fide Indian nationals. Most notably, the West Bengal government has led efforts to trace, verify, and bring back its residents who were mistakenly or illegally pushed into Bangladesh, raising urgent questions about due process, documentation, and the risks of communal or linguistic profiling in the ongoing campaign.

1. West Bengal Government brings back seven men wrongly deported to Bangladesh

In a striking instance of state-level intervention against what is being called unlawful deportation, the West Bengal government has successfully facilitated the return of at least seven Indian citizens who were allegedly picked up by Maharashtra Police during anti-immigration drives and pushed across the Bangladesh border, despite holding valid Indian documents.

The men, most of whom are residents of Murshidabad district, were working as daily wage labourers or masons in Mumbai and Thane. They were detained between June 9 and 11, and within days, without due legal process, transported across the border and abandoned in Bangladesh, according to The Indian Express.

One of the deportees, 36-year-old Mehbub Sheikh, who worked as a mason in Thane, was detained on June 11 and pushed into Bangladesh from a BSF camp in Siliguri by the early hours of June 14, despite his family and local police submitting documentation, including Aadhaar, voter ID, and land records, to prove his Indian citizenship. Another youth, Shamim Khan, also from Murshidabad, was picked up around the same time and met the same fate.

Following urgent appeals from families and local authorities, the West Bengal Migrant Workers’ Welfare Board, under instructions from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, intervened. The Board’s chairman and TMC Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam told The Indian Express that the state government had taken the matter up directly with the Union government and the BSF. “Our government coordinated with central agencies and ensured five individuals were brought back by Sunday, and two more by Monday. We are continuing efforts to identify if others from Bengal have also been wrongfully deported,” he said.

According to a statement by Murshidabad SP Kumar Sunny Raj, upon receiving alerts from families, district police initiated local verification and coordinated with the BSF. Once the individuals’ Indian nationality was confirmed through supporting documents, the BSF held a flag meeting with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and repatriated the youths. “They were handed over to Raiganj police station by the BSF and will be taken back to their respective villages,” added SP Md Sana Akhtar of Uttar Dinajpur as per the report.

The deported men include Mehbub Sheikh (Bhagwangola), Shamim Khan (Hariharpara), Minarul Sheikh (Beldanga), Nazimuddin Mondal (Hariharpara), and Mostafa Kamal Sheikh (Monteswar, Purba Bardhaman). Additionally, Fazer Sheikh and his wife Taslima from Bagda in North 24 Parganas were also returned. All were among the over 130 people transported by BSF aircraft from Pune to Agartala, and then dropped off at the border with minimal belongings, a packet of food, and 300 Bangladeshi Taka, according to multiple returnees.

Speaking to The Hindu, Nazimuddin Mondal, 34, recalled: “We were herded like cattle. At 3 am, the BSF jawans drove us toward the border, told us not to return. We walked into complete darkness.” After being chased away by Bangladeshi locals and beaten by BGB personnel, the group wandered for hours in paddy fields with mud up to their knees, before the BSF called them back the following evening and took them to Kokrajhar.

Nazimuddin’s brother Musarraf Mondal said the family had frantically submitted documentation to both local police in Murshidabad and the authorities in Mumbai, but were ignored. “Only after my brother managed to call from Bangladesh did, we know what had happened,” he said.

According to Samirul Islam, this is not an isolated event. “There is growing concern that Bengali-speaking Indian citizens, especially migrant workers, are being wrongly profiled and deported in BJP-ruled states like Maharashtra,” he told The Telegraph. “This is illegal, and our Chief Minister has written to the Centre about this.”

The return of these individuals was made possible through urgent coordination between state police, BSF, and BGB, as confirmed by Mekhliganj Police Station OC Mani Bhusan Sarkar, who received prior alerts from Murshidabad and Bardhaman police about missing residents. After verifying identities, a flag meeting at the Mekhliganj border enabled their return on Sunday afternoon.

As The Hindu reports, these cases come amid a wider trend of the Indian government “pushing back” undocumented migrants across the Bangladesh border, especially following Operation Sindoor, launched in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in April. The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has officially raised objections, stating such pushbacks violate diplomatic protocols.

For the seven men from Bengal, the ordeal has left lasting scars. “We were taken from one police station to another in Mumbai. We had no phones, no belongings. No one listened to us,” said Nazimuddin, still shaken after returning to his village in Taratipur, Murshidabad. “Only the state government listened.”

Here is a detailed and paraphrased version of the UP detention and Bengal police intervention story, rewritten with improved flow and source attribution:

2. West Bengal police intervene to secure release of six detainees from UP, wrongly suspected as Bangladeshis

In yet another instance that underscores growing concerns around the profiling of Bengali-speaking migrant workers, six residents of West Bengal, including two drivers, were detained by the Uttar Pradesh Police on May 5 in Deoria district, allegedly on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals. The detainees, five from Beldanga in Murshidabad and one from Krishnaganj in Nadia, were travelling by bus when they were stopped and taken to Lar police station, according to a report in The Telegraph.

The situation was resolved only after swift intervention by Murshidabad Superintendent of Police Kumar Sunny Raj, who contacted senior UP officials and facilitated the release of the group. A police officer in Bengal, speaking to the media, confirmed that local authorities had been alerted to the detentions around noon. “As soon as we were informed, our SP reached out to his counterparts in Uttar Pradesh. The issue was resolved the same day,” the officer stated.

Family members of the detainees said they were advised to keep their local police stations informed while travelling outside the state, especially in light of recent incidents of wrongful detention. “We had notified the Beldanga Inspector-in-Charge as a precaution. The prompt response of our local police ensured the group was not subjected to further harassment,” said Din Muhammad, a relative of one of the men, while speaking to The Telegraph.

Samirul Islam, Trinamool MP and chairman of the West Bengal Migrant Workers’ Welfare Board, condemned the incident, calling it part of a worrying trend of systemic suspicion and profiling of Bengali-speaking Indians in BJP-ruled states. “This has to stop. Speaking Bengali does not make someone a Bangladeshi,” Islam said. He further noted that despite the six men producing valid photo ID cards, they were still detained, an act he described as “deeply discriminatory.” He added that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had already written to the Centre raising concern about the growing frequency of such incidents.

Police confirmed that the group was released by the evening of May 5 and arrangements were made for them to return to their homes in Bengal the following day. (Detailed report may be read here.)

When the Courts Intervene: Stays and interim protection

Amid a wave of detentions and swift deportations, many allegedly carried out without due process, constitutional courts across India have intervened to halt or question such actions. In several instances, the Supreme Court and High Courts have granted interim protection or stay orders, preventing the deportation of individuals flagged as “illegal migrants” or declared foreigners under the Foreigners Act. These judicial interventions have not only delayed state action but have, in some cases, forced authorities to re-examine the legality and fairness of their deportation processes.

1. Supreme Court grants interim protection to woman declared ‘foreigner’ amid concerns over opaque deportation processes in Assam

Amid growing judicial scrutiny of arbitrary deportation practices in Assam, the Supreme Court on June 24, 2025, granted interim protection from deportation to Jaynab Bibi, a woman declared a foreigner by a Foreigners Tribunal under Section 2(a) of the Foreigners Act, 1946. The Tribunal’s two-page 2017 order had summarily dismissed her extensive documentary evidence, including the 1951 NRC, multiple electoral rolls, land records, and local certificates, on grounds of minor inconsistencies in names and testimonies. The Gauhati High Court upheld this finding in February 2025 and revoked her interim protection, but the Supreme Court has now stayed all coercive steps against her, including deportation, while issuing notice in her special leave petition. The case is next listed for August 25.

Represented by Advocates Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi and Akanksha Rai, Jaynab’s petition relies heavily on the Supreme Court’s own observations in Mohd. Rahim Ali v. State of Assam (July 2024), where the Court cautioned against opaque and suspicion-based declarations under the Foreigners Act. Jaynab, who claims Indian citizenship by birth and residence in Nagaon district, contends that her identity was rejected without due process. The Court’s intervention, though interim, sends a strong signal against mechanical adjudications and underscores the central role of constitutional safeguards in proceedings that could result in loss of nationality and expulsion. (Detailed report may be read here.)

2. Bombay High Court grants bail over custodial rights violation

In a significant judicial intervention affirming procedural safeguards even in cases involving alleged undocumented immigrants, the Bombay High Court on May 7, 2025, granted bail to 34-year-old Sabnam Suleman Ansari, accused of entering India illegally, after finding that she was produced before a magistrate well beyond the constitutionally permitted 24-hour window following her arrest. Justice Milind Jadhav, while granting her bail on a surety of ₹5,000, observed that Ansari was arrested on January 28 at 12:30 PM and produced only on January 29 at 4:30 PM. The delay, the judge ruled, constituted a prima facie breach of her fundamental rights under Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution. According to the order, “It is the duty of the Bail Court to step in,” when such violations are apparent.

The prosecution alleged Ansari had entered India through an unauthorised route from Bangladesh and lacked valid travel documents. However, Justice Jadhav rejected the State’s reliance on an earlier division bench ruling in Karan Ratan Rokade v. State of Maharashtra, distinguishing the facts and affirming the Supreme Court’s position in Vihaan Kumar v. State of Haryana, which emphasized the judiciary’s obligation to grant bail in cases of illegal detention. The Court also noted the indifference of police authorities toward elementary but statutory safeguards under Section 50 of the CrPC and Section 58 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, underscoring that constitutional protections remain non-negotiable, even in immigration-related prosecutions.

3. Bombay High Court intervenes in detention of Indian teen following father’s deportation

In another crucial instance of judicial scrutiny over policing under the Foreigners Act, the Bombay High Court on June 3, 2025, ordered the immediate release of 18-year-old Ruksar Dadamiya Khan, who had been detained by Mumbai’s Mankhurd police following her father’s deportation to Bangladesh on allegations of illegal migration. Despite being born in India and possessing valid Indian documents, Ruksar was held in custody without any independent proceedings initiated against her. A vacation bench comprising Justices Dr. Neela Gokhale and Firdosh P. Pooniwalla passed the order while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed on behalf of Ruksar and her two younger siblings, aged 16 and 8, seeking protection from coercive state action and possible deportation.

According to the petition, while the younger siblings were released to their mother soon after it was filed, Ruksar remained confined at the Nirbhaya Cell in Mankhurd, prompting the Court’s urgent intervention. The bench observed that her continued detention was unwarranted and violative of Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees personal liberty, especially when she was not the subject of any conclusive or independent inquiry under the Foreigners Act, 1946. The ruling serves as a reminder that procedural fairness cannot be dispensed with, particularly in cases involving minors or Indian-born individuals whose rights risk being subsumed by broad and indiscriminate enforcement drives.

4. Gauhati High Court orders immediate release of bail-compliant man detained as ‘Foreigner’

In a forceful assertion of constitutional liberty, the Gauhati High Court on June 16, 2025, ordered the immediate release of Hachinur @ Hasinur, a resident of Goalpara, who had been unlawfully detained by the Assam Border Police despite being out on High Court–granted bail since 2021. The Court declared his detention “expressly illegal,” noting that no bail cancellation had been obtained and the Foreigners Tribunal’s declaration against him remained sub judice. Rejecting the State’s plea for adjournment due to lack of instructions, the bench of Justices Kalyan Rai Surana and Malasri Nandi stated, “Illegal detention cannot be allowed even for a minute,” and reminded the State that liberty cannot wait for bureaucratic coordination. The order came in response to a habeas corpus petition filed by the detainee’s mother, Mozida Begum, which documented the detainee’s weekly police reporting and absence of any new judicial order justifying re-arrest.

The Court had earlier stayed any deportation and verified that Hachinur was held at the Kokrajhar Holding Centre. His arrest on May 25, 2025, triggered widespread concern, especially as he had regularly reported to Goalpara Police Station per the conditions of his 2021 bail, granted under the Supreme Court’s COVID-19 guidelines. During the hearing, Advocate A.R. Sikdar emphasised that no fresh legal proceedings had been initiated, and the arrest was both unconstitutional and unjustified. The Court agreed, holding that the State should have sought a judicial order if it believed fresh grounds existed. “Once there is bail, if they do not give you instructions, it is their lookout,” Justice Surana said. With that, the Court directed immediate release, reinforcing that executive action cannot override existing judicial protections or suspend liberty at will. (Detailed report may be read here.)

Courtesy: Sabrang India