West Bengal chief minister orders deportation of illegal Bangladeshis

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari warned that illegal Bangladeshi residents would not be kept in jail for food costs and instructed police to hand them over to the Border Security Force for return to Bangladesh. He directed the creation of temporary “holding centres” to detain undocumented migrants for up to 30 days while their documents and biometric data are verified under the state’s “Detect, Delete and Deport” policy.

Large groups of alleged illegal Bangladeshis gathered at checkpoints such as the Hakimpur post in North 24 Parganas, seeking to cross back voluntarily after the state’s directive. The government has ordered district administrations to set up similar centres and to expedite deportations, citing recent election promises to remove illegal entry.

The move targets both Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya, aiming to curb irregular migration and reinforce border security in the state.