What Is “Bangladeshi National Language” Controversy?

A series of controversies flared up when Delhi Police, in an official letter addressed to the officer-in-charge of Banga Bhawan in New Delhi, requested for a translator of the “Bangladeshi National Language.”

Delhi police requested a translator concerning the investigation of a case where eight people who are “strongly suspected” to be Bangladeshi nationals were arrested. Allegedly, these eight people were residing in India without any valid passport or visa. The point of objection, however, was a phrase they used–“Bangladeshi National Language”.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee on Sunday lashed out at Delhi Police for referring to Bengali as "Bangladeshi national language" in a letter, saying that it was "insulting, anti-national and unconstitutional". Trinamool Congress’s national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee also supported the party supremo’s stance.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday join the chorus of support for Mamata Banerjee’s allegations. He said Delhi police's description of Bengali as a Bangladeshi language was a "direct insult" that exposed a “dark mindset.”

The Ongoing Deportation

Following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the States to intensify the drive against undocumented migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. In multiple BJP-led/allied states, majorly including Rajasthan, Assam, Maharashtra, and Delhi, the process of identification, detention and deportation of the undocumented migrants has intensified. The Hindu reported that as of June 29, around 2,500 suspected Bangladeshis have been pushed back.

The question, however, arises: ‘What is the basis of identification and detention?’.

The main target of these deportation drives had been the Bengali-speaking immigrant labourers. According to the state government, around 22 lakh migrant workers from West Bengal work outside the state. All these people are now in fear of having to prove their nationality in order to stay in their own country.

The issue of Bangladeshi and Mayanmari immigrants is another unignorable and complicated one. Illegal immigrants in a country’s soil represent a failure of the Central Government to maintain its international border, which cannot be covered or the burden of which cannot be shifted with any justification. However, vulnerable sections of the speakers of sixth most spoken native language are now prey of a larger political plight.

Same Script, Different Dialects, But Same Language

Bengali is a language with several dialects both within and outside India. Even in the state of West Bengal there are atleast four major dialects. Bengali in Bangladesh also has several dialects and sub-dialects, the language is diverse. Identifying someone’s geographical belonging based on the dialects they speak might be difficult even for linguists. However, the enforcers of law and order in Delhi have taken over this extremely complicated task.

The language Bengali has only one script both in India’s West Bengal and its neighbour Bangladesh. This Bengali script evolved from the Gaudi script and was mordernised by the luminary social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. It is this script that was referred as the “Bangladeshi National Language” by the Delhi Police.

“Bengali, our mother tongue, the language of Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda, the language in which our National Anthem and the National Song are written, the language in which crores of Indians speak and write, the language which is sanctified and recognised by the Constitution of India, is now described as a Bangladeshi language!!,” said West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

BJP's state president Samik Bhattacharya, however tries to justify the Delhi Police's action and said there is a difference between the dialect of the Bengali language spoken and written in West Bengal and that of Bangladesh’s.

Basis Of Deportation

“How are you deciding who is a Bangladeshi and who is an Indian citizen? Let's say I speak Bangla, and I am a Muslim, will you say that I'm a Bangladeshi? How are you identifying?,” said Advocate Manik Gupta, who represents refugees at various forums.

Multiple cases have surfaced recently where migrants were allegedly pushed into Bangladesh upon suspicion over their nationality. The basis of suspicion is largely that the person is a Muslim and also speaks Bengali. The concerning factor, however, is that deportation took place on just these two factors. In a recent case, seven West Bengal residents working in Maharashtra were deported to Bangladesh by the Border Security Force (BSF) and had to be returned to India.

“Everything has to happen through a due process. Things cannot happen with so much opaqueness and arbitrariness. There is no hearing, there is no chance, there is no order, and there is direct action. This entire thing of pushback is completely illegal,” added Gupta.

Continual Political Discorse, Continual Discomfort To Vulnerables

The migrant labourers are vulnerable groups who keep on suffering due to the ongoing political turmoil. Many of them lack the necessary documents that they are being asked to show by authorities, for example, birth certificates. Birth certificates in India became mandatory only in 1969; proper implementation took even longer. A large section of the population above the age of 56 does not have any proper document to proof their place and time of birth. A Passport is something many do not make until they intend to travel overseas.

“I have been travelling since I was born. I do not even know if I ever had any documents or if they were misplaced. I am over 40 years old now. Should I have cared about getting documents or putting food in my family’s mouth?,” says a migrant worker in Delhi who requested to stay anonymous citing safety concerns.

Meanwhile, the political condemnation keeps on continuing. CM Mamata Banerjee alleged that Delhi Police under the direct control of the Home Ministry, is describing Bengali as "Bangladeshi" language. MP Abhishek Banerjee alleged that what is happening is a calculated attempt by the BJP to "defame Bengal".

"Scandalous, insulting, anti-national, unconstitutional!! This insults all Bengali-speaking people of India. They cannot use this kind of language, which degrades and debases us all. We urge immediate, strongest possible protests from all against the anti-Bengali Government of India, who are using such anti-Constitutional language to insult and humiliate the Bengali-speaking people of India," said Banerjee.

The BJP also alleged that the TMC was trying to defend illegal Bangladeshi migrants who, the party said, speak a heavily Urdu-influenced Bengali dialect.

"Now, TMC is outrageously claiming this is an 'insult to our language. But here's the irony their entire outrage is rooted in defending Bangladeshis. What does that have to do with India or Indian Bengalis? "Let's get this straight for TMC, a heavily Urdu-influenced dialect spoken by illegal migrants is now the real Bengali language? Is this what TMC politics has come to defending foreign nationals while eroding Indian identity?," West Bengal BJP posted on social media platform X.