The West Bengal administration has relocated hundreds of people gathered at the India-Bangladesh border to various holding centers.
These individuals, who were attempting to cross back into Bangladesh, were moved from the Indian side of the border in North 24 Parganas district to facilitate identity and document verification.
According to administrative sources, India's Border Security Force has already initiated contact with Border Guard Bangladesh regarding the situation.
The mass gathering at Hakimpur border over the past two days follows the BJP government's recent strict stance against illegal immigration in West Bengal.
The crowd, expressing an urgent desire to return to Bangladesh, was transferred to three temporary holding centers by local police and the BSF in phases starting Tuesday night.
After initial screening, 110 people were housed at a government guest house in the Tetulia area of Swarupnagar under tight police security. Over 100 others were placed in a primary school near the Hakimpur border, while approximately 170 individuals were sheltered in two newly constructed houses nearby.
Despite the relocations, the influx continued into Wednesday. By Wednesday afternoon, an estimated 150 additional people had reached the border areas using trains, buses, and rented vehicles.
Local authorities are currently collecting documents from everyone at the centers to verify their nationalities and check for any criminal records. Once confirmed as Bangladeshi citizens, they will be formally handed over through routine flag meetings between the BSF and BGB, pending necessary legal clearances.
Many of the detainees admitted to entering India illegally through brokers at various times. They had since settled in different parts of India, working and residing in Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, and even as far south as Kerala.
The migrants claimed they managed to procure Indian identity cards with the assistance of local smugglers, alleging that local individuals associated with the previous Trinamool Congress government had also facilitated the process.
