Since the last week of January, 2003, tension has been building up on the Indo-Bangladesh border over thequestion of continued illegal immigration of Bangladeshi nationals into India. The attempt of India'sBorder Security Force (BSF) to push back into Bangladesh a recent group of 213 illegal migrants has beenresisted by the Bangladeshi security forces resulting in a confrontational situation. Instead ofappreciating the need for effective action against illegal immigrants, the so-called secular parties, with theMarxists in the lead, have criticised the action of the BSF. As in the past, the action of the CentralGovernment has been projected as anti-Muslim.