SUMMARY

Bangladeshi immigrants are typically ethnic Bengals, and so speak Bengali and practice Islam.

These immigrants typically cross illegally into India (or cross legally and overstay their visas) and attempt to settle there as farmers or traders. This immigration continues with little intervention from the Indian State, which leaves much of its border with Bangladesh unguarded. The exact number of Bangladeshi immigrants living in Assam is impossible to know. By 2012, however, the Assamese government had lodged over 310.000 cases with special tribunals created to identify non-Indian citizens. These tribunals identified over 5.000 non-citizens (the vast majority of which were Bangladeshi) between 2010 and 2012, but successfully deported fewer than 200.

Though media reports typically identify this group as immigrants, it is likely that many individual group members are actually Indian-born descendants of immigrants.

Bangladeshi Immigrants have been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.