Online Desk – Within the first seven days of activating holding centers in West Bengal, the state administration has detained approximately 400 alleged undocumented “Bangladeshi” immigrants. Efforts are currently underway to initiate their deportation process back to Bangladesh, according to a report by the Indian media outlet The Indian Express.
Data from the West Bengal state administration indicates that the highest number of detentions occurred in the Basirhat police district, where 335 alleged illegal immigrants are being held. They have been accommodated across flood relief centers in Tetulghati, Patharshati, Charghat, and Subhash Nagar.
Apart from Basirhat, alleged Bangladeshi immigrants have also been detained in Malda, Murshidabad, and South Dinajpur districts. Additionally, individuals are reportedly being held in Baruipur, Barasat, Cooch Behar, Jangipur, Krishnanagar, and Bongaon police districts.
The state administration has significantly tightened security and surveillance at these holding centers. Sources claim that specific directives have been issued to the respective district administrations to ensure the detention and repatriation processes are executed swiftly and smoothly. Continuous monitoring is being maintained at the holding centers, and additional police forces have been deployed to maintain law and order.
Meanwhile, four laborers working in Kerala are among the detained individuals who arrived at the Hakimpur border outpost on May 26. They were subsequently sent to a detention center in the North 24 Parganas district.
Speaking over the phone, one of the four youths, Motleb Hossain, said, “Our biometric data was recorded yesterday. They collected our fingerprints and other required details. BSF officials also interrogated us, inquiring about how we entered India, where we worked, and where we stayed. We have provided them with all the requested information.”