600 Bangladeshi Nationals Identified In J&K, 150 Shifted For Deportation

Srinagar: Around 600 Bangladeshi nationals have been identified as allegedly staying illegally across Jammu and Kashmir, with authorities beginning the process of deporting them from the Union Territory.
A first batch of 150 people was moved from Srinagar to Bagdogra in West Bengal on Monday aboard a special Indian Air Force aircraft. After landing, they were handed over to Border Security Force personnel as part of the process to return them to Bangladesh.
The identification followed a survey carried out across the Kashmir Valley by the administration in coordination with Jammu and Kashmir Police. The individuals identified during the exercise were subsequently kept at a facility managed by Srinagar Police while arrangements were made for their transportation and deportation.
Authorities are scheduled to move another batch of 150 Bangladeshi nationals on October 7.
The development comes amid a wider central government exercise to assess and address illegal immigration in border areas. The Union Home Ministry constituted the High Level Committee on Demographic Change in May to examine demographic changes linked to illegal immigration and other factors.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration subsequently informed the committee that approximately 600 Bangladeshi nationals had been identified across different districts of the Union Territory.
The committee has been tasked with studying demographic changes in different parts of the country, examining the factors contributing to such changes and recommending policy, legislative and administrative measures.
It has also sought long term demographic data from states and Union Territories, including information on changes in population patterns across districts, industrial areas and border regions over the past 15 years.
The committee is examining trends in demographic composition along with other administrative data to understand the scale and causes of changes. It has been given one year to submit its report and recommendations to the central government.