Pakistan, July 25 -- India has pushed hundreds of ethnic Bengali-speaking Muslims into Bangladesh without due process, Human Rights Watch said Thursday, accusing the government of flouting rules and fuelling bias on religious lines.

The Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has long taken a hardline stance on immigration - particularly those from neighbouring Muslim-majority Bangladesh - with top authorities referring to them as "termites" and "infiltrators".

Critics also accuse the government of sparking fear among India's estimated 200 million Muslims, especially among speakers of Bengali, a widely spoken language in both eastern India and Bangladesh.

HRW, a New York-based nonprofit, said India forcibly expelle...