Dhaka on Friday said that it has raised concerns with New Delhi about reports that India had “pushed” people across the international waters into Bangladesh.

Faisal Mahmud, the press minister in the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, told Scroll that the identities of “those who entered Bangladesh without following any legal procedures or formal channels remain unverified”.

“Without valid identity documentation, it is extremely difficult to conclusively establish that they are Bangladeshi nationals who had been residing in India ‘illegally’,” he said.

This came following reports alleging that Indian authorities had forced persons, including Rohingya refugees and at least three individuals alleged to be Indians, into Bangladesh and Myanmar.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has not commented on the matter yet.

Also read: How India allegedly deported 40 Rohingya refugees by forcing them into Andaman Sea

The Bangladeshi High Commission, citing Indian newspapers, claimed that 1,081 persons alleged to be Bangladeshis had been arrested or detained by the police in India.

“The standard protocol in such cases requires Indian authorities to contact the respective Bangladeshi High Commission, Deputy High Commissions or Assistant High Commissions for identity verification,” said Mahmud.

He added: “If the individuals are confirmed to be Bangladeshi citizens, arrangements for their repatriation are to be made through formal diplomatic channels. Regrettably, this established procedure has not yet been followed.”

While the Indian government had informed Bangladesh of the detentions, the process of verifying the identities of the detainees has not started yet, the press minister added.

Maktoob Media reported on May 12 that Indian authorities had allegedly thrown 43 Rohingya refugees, detained from New Delhi, into international waters near the maritime border with Myanmar. This had allegedly forced children, women and elderly persons to swim to safety using life jackets.

The refugees were registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and possessed identity cards, which set them legally apart from undocumented migrants.

On May 8, the Bangladesh border force alleged that it had also detained at least 123 persons whom it claimed India had “pushed” into the country without documents. Among those detained were Rohingyas and Bangla-speaking persons.

A senior Indian police officer had confirmed to Scroll that some individuals had been detained by Bangladesh. But the officer did not confirm how many had been detained.

On May 10, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed that the state government was pushing back Rohingya refugees, among other “illegal infiltrators” into Bangladesh, instead of filing legal cases against them.

On Thursday, Scroll reported, citing a report by the police in Bangladesh’s Satkhira town, that there were three Indians who were among a group of 78 people who were allegedly “pushed” across the water into Bangladesh on May 8.

The police in Gujarat, from where the men were allegedly detained, rejected allegations that the group had been pushed into the water.

The solicitor general of India had assured the Supreme Court on May 8 that the deportation of undocumented immigrants from the Rohingya community would take place in accordance with legal processes.

On Friday, the Supreme Court questioned a petition alleging that the Indian government had forcibly deported 43 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar by pushing them into international waters.

The bench declined the petitioner’s request for an urgent hearing into the matter. Citing an order passed by another bench on May 8, it rejected the petitioner’s request to pass an interim order halting the deportation of Rohingyas.

Also read: Three Indians among 78 ‘pushed’ off boats into Bangladesh, local police claim