The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has ordered operators to shut down their networks within one kilometre of the Indian border. According to various reports, at least 10 million users in the said area will be impacted by the decision.
Reuters has reported, citing an anonymous official, that the Bangladeshi authorities are concerned that Indian Muslims might attempt to flock to the country.
Dhaka previously demanded written assurances from New Delhi that immigrants wouldn't be sent across the border by Indian authorities after the enactment of the new citizenship law.
The legislation seeks to grant citizenship to illegal immigrants from six religious minorities (Hindus, Parsis, Jains, Christians, Buddhists, and Sikhs) from predominantly Muslim Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, who arrived in the country prior to 2015.
The law, however, excludes Muslims from the amnesty, which caused widespread protests across India, with more than 20 killed, dozens injured, and hundreds arrested. Critics of the law call it discriminatory, which Narendra Modi's government strongly denies.
