More than 100 people gathered at the Hakimpur checkpoint of Basirhat of North 24 Parganas in the Indian state of West Bengal on Tuesday to enter Bangladesh, Indian media reported.
The development came after the announcement regarding deportation and the setting up of holding centres for deportation of foreign nationals, including Rohingyas and ‘Bangladeshis’, said the media reports.
Many of these migrants had allegedly been living illegally in different parts of West Bengal and arrived at the border following the recent announcements, Times of India reported.
Large groups of alleged ‘illegal Bangladeshi migrants’ have begun gathering along multiple border points in West Bengal amid the BJP government’s newly launched ‘detect, delete and deport’ policy, with scenes emerging from North 24 Parganas and Malda that signal the state’s anti-infiltration drive has moved to administrative action, the report said.
Shuvendu orders speedy deportation
The West Bengal chief minister, Suvendu Adhikari, on May 26 asked authorities to expedite deportation of the people gathered at the Hakimpur border checkpoint, the Statesman reported.
Suvendu passed the order while chairing an administrative meeting at Kalyani, attended by senior officials from Nadia, Hooghly and North 24 Parganas districts.
Talking to media people after the meeting, he claimed that people assembled at the border point were illegal Banglashi immigrants and willing to enter Bangladesh.
Directing the officials to expedite deportation procedures, the West Bengal chief minister stated that the BJP government in the state did not want to keep such individuals in detention or spend public funds on their upkeep.
He even noted that the major issue was negatively impacting local resources as well as citizens of the state.
Legal provisions exist regarding the same, Shuvendu said, adding that these were not effectively implemented in the past. He further alleged that political considerations had previously influenced enforcement.
The BJP government in the state will prioritise strict implementation of immigration laws, he added.
Notably, the West Bengal administration has come up with holding centres across all the districts in the state to accommodate ‘apprehended foreigners’ as well as ‘released foreign prisoners’ until deportation formalities are completed.
According to officials, the latest directive aligns with the existing central guidelines.
