Massive gathering at India-Bangladesh border as West Bengal begins immigrant drive after controversial 'SIR'
Suvendu asserted that while laws enabling deportation have always existed, the previous Mamata administration chose not to enforce them due to political interests
Hundreds of suspected undocumented individuals gathered in long queues at the Bithari-Hakimpur border exit in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas yesterday (26 May), seeking to cross over into Bangladesh.
The sudden influx follows an aggressive campaign launched by West Bengal's newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) administration to identify and deport illegal immigrants, according to Indian media reports.
The scenes of men, women, and children waiting at the border terminal are reminiscent of past mass scrambles seen during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters lists.
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The panic-driven displacement intensified immediately after the state government opened its first two "holding centres" for detained illegal immigrants in the border-adjacent districts of Malda and Murshidabad on 25 May.
The border gathering coincided with a stern warning from West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who directed all suspected infiltrators to leave the state immediately or face severe administrative action.
Speaking to the media after an administrative meeting in Kalyani, Adhikari explicitly ordered officials to expedite the repatriation process for all detainees.
He further instructed the state police force to bypass traditional judicial court proceedings when dealing with suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
The West Bengal chief minister stated that provisions within the existing legal framework allow law enforcement to directly transfer suspected individuals to the Border Security Force (BSF), which will subsequently verify their national identity and hand them over to the appropriate authorities across the border.
Adhikari argued that retaining undocumented immigrants in local prisons was an unnecessary fiscal burden on the state, requiring public expenditures for food, clothing, and medicine.
He asserted that while laws enabling deportation have always existed, previous administrations chose not to enforce them due to political interests, whereas his government is implementing them strictly in the interest of the country and the state.
The swift implementation of the policy was demonstrated by the fact that the first two holding centres were fully operationalised within 48 hours of a state circular directing all district magistrates to arrange facilities for housing individuals awaiting deportation.
By the evening of 25 May, at least 12 suspected individuals intercepted in Malda and Murshidabad had already been transferred to these newly established transit units.
The sudden policy enforcement sparked panic among migrant workers across West Bengal, causing large crowds to congregate near Swarupnagar in the North 24 Parganas district, where BSF sentries detained them in preparation for the formal administrative handover to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
Indian newspaper reports (such as from Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu) indicate that the vast majority of those seeking to return were employed in informal sectors across Kolkata, working primarily at construction sites, hotels, fisheries, and private households.
Among those waiting at the border terminal was Taklima Khatun, a native of Khulna, who stated that she had entered India through the Ghojadanga border two years ago to work as a domestic helper.
Khatun explained that she decided to return home willingly because she did not want to risk being placed in a holding centre or subjected to a forced pushback.
Similarly, Shahidul Gazi, a mason from Satkhira who entered India three years ago through the Swarupnagar border with the assistance of a middleman, noted that the absolute lack of citizenship documents left him and hundreds of others with no choice but to leave.
Mohammad Ali Sheikh, a native of Jahsore who spent seven years working at a hotel in Kolkata's Metiabruz locality, reiterated that the sudden government directive to establish holding centres was the decisive factor that compelled him to abandon his livelihood and return to Bangladesh.
