Bangladeshi migrants head back across border: How BJP's anti-infiltration push is changing Bengal

Kolkata:

A group of illegal migrants has gathered at the Hakimpur checkpost in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas, near the border, to return to Bangladesh. The development comes amid increased security and monitoring along the border areas in West Bengal.

The movement is being seen as a response to a stricter enforcement drive against illegal infiltration in the state.

"I want to stay here, but no one is letting me stay, so I am going back. I have my parents and siblings in my family. I am alone here. My husband left with another girl. The current situation here has my husband saying, 'You are Bangladeshi, go back,' so I am leaving. We met on Facebook two years ago. We used to talk on the phone. I crossed the border and came. We got married in a temple in Madhyamgram," a Bangladeshi immigrant said.  

"A broker helped me cross the border two years ago, charging me Rs 15,000. I took this money from home without telling my parents. After marriage, I tried to get my documents made, but they didn't work. Now I am going back. My mother is waiting for me there. I will never see or talk to my husband again. I also have a two year old daughter," Sumaiya Khatun, she added.

BJP highlights intensified border action

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed that its renewed focus on anti-infiltration measures is beginning to show results in border districts. The party says that tighter surveillance and coordinated action with security agencies have created pressure on those staying illegally in the state.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking at a public meeting in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar, said that significant land has been handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) to strengthen border infrastructure. He claimed that around 600 hectares have been allocated in a short period to improve security arrangements along the India–Bangladesh frontier.

He also pointed to the sensitive “Chicken Neck” corridor, stating that additional land has been transferred there to enhance surveillance and national security preparedness.

Crackdown measures and administrative steps

The Home Minister further said that fencing work along the border is expected to resume soon to block vulnerable entry routes. He said that detention or holding centres are being planned or set up in several districts to manage cases involving foreign nationals found staying illegally or those who have completed prison sentences.

State-level actions and political response

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has also introduced a tougher approach, calling for holding centres in every district. He referred to existing legal provisions under the Foreigners Act and said that those identified as illegal migrants should be processed and handed over to border authorities rather than kept in jails.

He also stated that individuals not covered under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act would be treated as infiltrators and dealt with accordingly.

Meanwhile, BJP MP Khagen Murmu claimed that some illegal migrants have already been sent back, while efforts continue to trace others. 

Government directives on foreign nationals

The West Bengal government has reportedly instructed district administrations to set up holding centres for foreign nationals found staying illegally, as well as for foreign inmates who have completed their sentences. These facilities are expected to follow guidelines issued by the Union Home Ministry for temporary detention and processing.

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