Overview

• Speaking on Aug. 21 at The Indian Express’s Idea Exchange, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi urged that deportations should start with deposed Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina, who has lived in India since August 2024.
• He cited reports that Bengali-speaking residents from Malda and Murshidabad were flown from Pune to Kolkata and left in “no man’s land,” alleging removals without proper verification.
• He accused police of illegally detaining Bengali-speaking people and questioned the authority to place them in detention centres.
• He warned that Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls could exclude genuine citizens, referencing Election Commission guidance that allows officials to alert authorities under the Citizenship Act.
• He criticized the Modi government’s silence on Gaza and said New Delhi missed an opportunity to brief international media after the May 7 Pahalgam strike.