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India Facing Renewed Threat From Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants
India Facing Renewed Threat From Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants
Sputnik India
The issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants isn't new in India. However, the subject made national headlines in recent days due to a near-fatal attack on Hindi... 24.01.2025, Sputnik India
2025-01-24T12:21+0530
2025-01-24T12:21+0530
2025-01-24T16:58+0530
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Khan's attacker was eventually found to be Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, a Bangladeshi national who crossed over to India illegally before changing his name to Bijoy Das and settling in the country.Illegal immigration from Bangladesh into India should be dealt with a heavy hand as it poses a grave security threat to the world's largest democratic state, experts have told Sputnik India.As per the current government's estimates, over 20 million illegal Bangladeshi immigrants live in India.For years, the federally ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused opposition parties, particularly Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC), which governs the West Bengal state, sharing a long border with Bangladesh, of going soft on illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.The BJP has even accused Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and other constituent political outfits of the main opposition bloc INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) of being hand-in-glove with illegal settlers from Bangladesh.The BJP alleges that India's opposition parties support the majority of illegal Bangladeshi nationals residing in India, as they serve as their 'vote banks.Notably, AAP member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Mohinder Goyal is being investigated by the Delhi Police after fake documents were seized from illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Delhi. These documents allegedly had signatures and Office Stamps of Goyal.Ilmi highlighted that such incidents were quite common in opposition-ruled states, particularly in Jharkhand, where even Christian minorities have raised their voice against illegal settlers from Bangladesh.On the other hand, West Bengal was transforming into a sanctuary of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, she stated. In the past, Assam has faced an influx of people from Bangladesh who entered the state without any legal documents, the BJP official added.The infiltrators from Bangladesh generally reside on the outskirts of major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, amongst others, often hiding their Muslim identities under Hindu names by securing Aadhar cards, voter IDs, ration cards, or driving licenses through existing crime syndicates in India that assist them in obtaining these forged documents, SM Sahai, an ex-Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and a former Additional Secretary in the Internal Affairs Division of the National Security Council Secretariat under the Prime Minister's Office from 2016 to 2023, stressed. Often these illegal Bangladeshi immigrants work as domestic help, mechanics, labourers, fruit sellers, garbage collectors, etc and because they come as cheap labour, which is cheaper than the services offered by the locals, a lot of people in the country avail their services, allowing them to get familiar and become a part of localities where they reside or work in India, he told Sputnik India.The police have already started identification drives in unauthorised colonies and slum areas, with a recent campaign in Delhi under Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, Sahai said, adding that Indian citizens have also been urged to ensure police verification for their tenants. In December 2024, the Delhi Police reportedly spotted more than a thousand illegal immigrants from Bangladesh before beginning a process of deportation.He further stated that Indian security agencies previously received assistance from Bangladeshi authorities in identifying radical elements crossing into India, citing the 2014 Burdwan blast case, where four Bangladeshi nationals were arrested and convicted due to cooperation from Bangladeshi security agencies.Further, he expressed doubt that such cooperation would continue under the current government.
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India Facing Renewed Threat From Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants
12:21 24.01.2025 (Updated: 16:58 24.01.2025) The issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants isn't new in India. However, the subject made national headlines in recent days due to a near-fatal attack on Hindi film actor Saif Ali Khan, who was stabbed six times in his upscale Mumbai home last week.
Khan's attacker was eventually found to be
Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, a Bangladeshi national who crossed over to India illegally before
changing his name to Bijoy Das and settling in the country.
Illegal immigration from Bangladesh into India should be dealt with a heavy hand as it poses a grave security threat to the world's largest democratic state, experts have told Sputnik India.
As per the current government's estimates, over 20 million illegal Bangladeshi immigrants live in India.
"There are reports of Bangladeshi nationals having entered the country without valid travel documents. Since entry of such Bangladeshi nationals into the country is clandestine and surreptitious, it is dificult to obtain accurate data on the number of such nationals living in various parts of the country. According to availabe information, there are around 20 million illegal Bangladeshi migrants residing in India," Junior federal minister for home affairs Kiren Rijiju had said in parliament in 2016.
For years, the federally ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused opposition parties, particularly Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC), which governs the West Bengal state, sharing a long border with Bangladesh, of going soft on illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
The BJP has even accused Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and other constituent political outfits of the main opposition bloc INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) of being hand-in-glove with illegal settlers from Bangladesh.
The BJP alleges that India's opposition parties support the majority of illegal Bangladeshi nationals residing in India,
as they serve as their 'vote banks."These immigrants have infiltrated into India and have been treated as prospective vote banks by certain parties in India, so much so that a notice has been issued to an AAP lawmaker before summoning him to explain why he signed fake voter IDs and Aadhar cards for Bangladeshi infiltrators," BJP National Spokesperson Shazia Ilmi told Sputnik India.
Notably, AAP member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Mohinder Goyal is being investigated by the Delhi Police after fake documents were seized from illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Delhi. These documents allegedly had signatures and Office Stamps of Goyal.
Ilmi highlighted that such incidents were quite common in opposition-ruled states, particularly in Jharkhand, where even Christian minorities have raised their voice against illegal settlers from Bangladesh.
On the other hand, West Bengal was transforming into a sanctuary of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, she stated. In the past, Assam has faced
an influx of people from Bangladesh who entered the state without any legal documents, the BJP official added.
"We believe India is for Indians of all communities, be it Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and other religions, and illegal immigration has to be stopped and prevented with a strong hand," Ilmi stressed.
The infiltrators from Bangladesh generally reside on the outskirts of major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, amongst others, often hiding their Muslim identities under Hindu names by securing Aadhar cards, voter IDs, ration cards, or driving licenses through existing crime syndicates in India that assist them in obtaining these forged documents, SM Sahai, an ex-Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and a former Additional Secretary in the Internal Affairs Division of the National Security Council Secretariat under the Prime Minister's Office from 2016 to 2023, stressed.
Often these illegal Bangladeshi immigrants work as domestic help, mechanics, labourers, fruit sellers, garbage collectors, etc and because they come as cheap labour, which is cheaper than the services offered by the locals, a lot of people in the
country avail their services, allowing them to get familiar and become a part of localities where they reside or work in India, he told
Sputnik India.The police have already started identification drives in unauthorised colonies and slum areas, with a recent campaign in Delhi under Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, Sahai said, adding that Indian citizens have also been urged to ensure police verification for their tenants.
In December 2024, the Delhi Police reportedly spotted more than a thousand illegal immigrants from Bangladesh before beginning a process of deportation.
"Nonetheless, cleaning of the system is also required as several Bangladeshi nationals who have entered India illicitly have already become Indian citizens through fake documents, and hence, these should be identified with the help of modern technological tools," Sahai urged.
He further stated that Indian security agencies previously received assistance from Bangladeshi authorities in identifying radical elements crossing into India, citing the
2014 Burdwan blast case, where four Bangladeshi nationals were arrested and convicted due to cooperation from Bangladeshi security agencies.
Further, he expressed doubt that such cooperation would continue under the current government.
"Unlike Hasina, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh isn't friendly to India. Additionally, it is getting closer to Pakistan, something India has to watch out for, as radical Islamists could sneak into India (via Bangladesh), which would be a real threat to its internal security," the retired police officer concluded.
