Bengal anti-infiltration drive triggers ‘reverse exodus’; CM Suvendu says ‘leave quickly’

(PTI)

KOLKATA, May 26: West Bengal’s BJP government’s decision to establish district-level holding centres for suspected illegal immigrants appears to have triggered a fresh “reverse exodus” through the international border, with scores of alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators gathering at the Hakimpur checkpoint in North 24 Parganas district seeking to return home, officials said.

The renewed rush comes days after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that West Bengal would aggressively implement a “detect, delete and deport” policy against infiltrators.

Speaking to reporters after an administrative meeting at Kalyani attended by officials from Nadia, Hooghly and North 24 Parganas districts.

Adhikari claimed that those assembled at the border point were willing to return to Bangladesh.

“Jaldi jaldi bhago nahi toh jo karna hai sarkar karega (Quickly leave, otherwise the government will take necessary action),” Adhikari said.

Referring to the gathering at the border point while directing officials to ensure that those present are sent back to their country at the earliest.

“We do not want to feed them in jails or waste public money on them. This is actually harming the Indians, especially in West Bengal.

The law was there, but was not utilised by a few people (by the previous government) for vote bank politics. We will implement this for the sake of the country and the state,” he said.

Large bags, rolled-up blankets and plastic sheets had returned to the Hakimpur border crossing on Tuesday, reviving a scene that had briefly unsettled West Bengal’s political landscape last winter during the SIR exercise.

Men, women and children sat in clusters under makeshift covers, waiting for their names to be called and for permission to cross over into Bangladesh.

For many in West Bengal’s border areas, the visuals felt like a replay.

The “reverse exodus” of undocumented migrants, first witnessed during the voter roll Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in November last year, appears to have resurfaced after the state’s newly installed BJP government initiated its “detect, delete and deport” drive.At Hakimpur in North 24 Parganas’ Basirhat subdivision, more than 200 alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators were found waiting over the last two days for a call from BSF personnel at the checkpoint so they could return to their country across the border.

Carrying trolleys, utensils and bundles, they presented reminders of lives packed in haste and uncertainty.

“This reverse exodus started in November last year. Early this year, the numbers had gone down, but over the last two days they have risen significantly.”

“We are following necessary procedures and are in touch with our counterparts in Bangladesh,” a senior BSF official said.BSF personnel indicated that many arriving at Hakimpur were voluntarily approaching authorities seeking repatriation.

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PTI