New Delhi: Days after assuming office as Chief Minister of West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday announced a major crackdown on illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators residing in the state.
Addressing a programme at Nabanna during a land handover ceremony for border fencing projects, the Chief Minister said the state government would immediately begin identifying, detaining and deporting illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. He described the policy as “Detect, Delete and Deport”.
According to Adhikari, identified infiltrators would be handed over directly to the Border Security Force for deportation in coordination with Border Guards Bangladesh. He claimed the Union Home Ministry had earlier issued directions asking states to identify illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and transfer them to the BSF, but alleged that the previous All India Trinamool Congress government had failed to implement the order.
The Chief Minister stated that the new government would strictly enforce the directive and begin action against all illegal immigrants staying in the state. However, he clarified that individuals belonging to the seven communities protected under the Citizenship Amendment Act would not face action if they had entered India before December 31, 2024.
Adhikari further announced that the West Bengal government had started handing over land to the Border Security Force for barbed wire fencing along the Indo Bangladesh border, ending what he described as a prolonged delay in border infrastructure development.
Illegal immigration from Bangladesh had emerged as a major political issue during the recent West Bengal Assembly elections, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeatedly raising concerns about demographic changes in the state.
The Bharatiya Janata Party secured a landmark victory in the Assembly polls, ending the long rule of the All India Trinamool Congress in Bengal. In one of the most high profile contests of the election, Suvendu Adhikari defeated former chief minister Mamata Banerjee in the Bhabanipur constituency.
