New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari claimed on Tuesday that a large number of alleged illegal Bangladeshi nationals have gathered at the Hakimpur checkpoint in the Basirhat sub-division of North 24 Parganas district, and he urged officials to expedite the process of deporting them from the country as soon as possible.
Speaking to reporters after an administrative meeting in Kalyani—attended by officials from the Nadia, Hooghly, and North 24 Parganas districts—Adhikari stated that the individuals gathered at the border outpost are willing to return to Bangladesh.
According to the news agency PTI, while referring to the crowd gathered at the checkpoint, Adhikari remarked, “Flee quickly, or else the government will take whatever action is deemed necessary.”
He further added, “We do not wish to feed them in our jails or squander public funds on them. This is, in reality, causing harm to Indians—particularly those in West Bengal. The law has always existed, but certain individuals refrained from enforcing it due to vote-bank politics. Rising above such vote-bank mentality, we will implement this law for the greater welfare of both the nation and the state.”
The ‘Detect, Delete, and Deport’ Policy
These remarks come amidst the implementation of the state government’s “Detect, Delete, and Deport” policy. The objective of this policy is to identify alleged illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators within the state and subsequently deport them from the country.
The Bengal government has issued directives to all districts to establish ‘holding centers’ (temporary detention centers) for “apprehended foreigners” and “released foreign prisoners” until the formalities regarding their deportation are completed.
Malda has become the first district in West Bengal to operationalize such a holding center. Currently, nine suspected Bangladeshi nationals—including women and minors—are being housed at this facility located in Chandan Park, English Bazar; they were brought here from the Pandua area of Gazole amidst tight security arrangements.
Officials told PTI that these centers are being established to temporarily accommodate foreign nationals detained for alleged illegal entry or for lacking valid documentation, during which period their identities will be verified and legal formalities completed.
BJP Government Links Move to Border Security
Officials had previously announced that infiltrators detained by the state police would, rather than being subjected to lengthy legal proceedings, be handed over directly to the Border Security Force (BSF) for deportation from the country. “Those who fall outside the purview of the CAA are infiltrators; the state police will arrest them and hand them over to the BSF,” an official stated during a recent meeting with senior BSF officers regarding fencing work along the Bangladesh border.
Earlier today, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the formation of a high-level committee to examine demographic changes occurring in the country due to “illegal infiltration and other unnatural causes.”
In a post on X, Shah stated, “Unnatural demographic changes resulting from infiltration and other causes pose a massive challenge to the present and future of any nation.”