Under its ‘Detect, Delete and Deport’ policy, the West Bengal government has so far created 11 detention centers in which 335 illegal immigrants have been kept. Meanwhile, on Friday, a large group of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants gathered at Hakimpur check post near Bangladesh border in North 24 Parganas district.
Basirhat in North 24 Parganas, bordering Bangladesh, has the highest number of illegal migrants. They are suspected to be Bangladeshi or Rohingya. According to a senior official, ‘So far 11 detention centers have been prepared in different parts of the state. Some of these police are operating under districts, while some are operating at the district level.
Bangladeshi immigrants told the story
A Bangladeshi immigrant present here said, ‘I came here a year ago. I asked my friend whether he would get work here, and he said yes. This is why I have come here from Bangladesh.
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‘I am going back to Bangladesh’
Here a Bangladeshi immigrant named Sumaiya Khatoon said, ‘I want to stay here but no one is letting me stay, so I am going back. My family consists of my parents and brothers and sisters. I am alone here. My husband left with another girl. Right now the situation here is such that my husband is 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 came across the border. We got married in a temple in Madhyamgram.
Khatun said, ‘Two years ago a broker helped me cross the border and took Rs 15,000 from me. I had taken this money from home without informing my parents. After marriage, I tried to get my documents made, but they were not made. Now I am going back. My mother is waiting for me there. I will never meet or speak to my husband again. I also have a two year old daughter.
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‘Local Muslims helped us’
Abdul, another Bangladeshi immigrant, said, ‘We have no documents here. I came here in 2017. It is now 2026 and it has been 9 years. Currently, the government’s policy is that no one without documents can live here, otherwise he will have to face jail and fine. We do not have the means to pay the fine. We don’t have any documents. We lived here like a guest house. Initially, we were not able to pay the rent, but some local Muslims helped us.
There was no problem during the time of former CM Mamta
The immigrant further said, ‘Once, during the municipal elections, our name was called. We also stood in the line but the document was not made. The counselor did not know about us, but the party members knew about us and no one asked us to go back. You are from Bangladesh. After the BJP government came to power, we were forced to leave.
The immigrant said that when former CM Mamata Banerjee was here, there was no problem. We lived here in Barasat, used to pull rickshaws and it has been three-four years. It was better when sister was there. Now that the new government has come, we are going out of fear. I am alone and worried about my life, so I am going to my home in Bangladesh. I don’t have any documents from here. I have Bangladeshi documents.
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