Over 400 Bangladeshi, Rohingya Immigrants Detained In Odisha
Police has started the interrogation of 444 people suspected to be illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants living in Odisha's Jharsuguda district.
Among those detained, 265 individuals were temporarily housed at Surabhi Kalyana Mandap, while the remaining were moved to a holding centre on the premises of Black Diamond College of Engineering and Technology.
Preliminary reports suggest that several of the detainees have been working as labourers, masons or hawkers across the district. Pending interrogation and document checks, those found staying in India illegally will face legal action and be deported.
The individuals were detained in an operation launched, on instructions of the Union Home ministry, to identify foreign nationals who may have entered India without legal documentation. It was launched after reports of a large number of Bangladeshi migrants staying illegally in the district, as per sources.
The detentions have brought to light growing concerns over unauthorised immigration in Odisha, raising questions about border security and economic migration.
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The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Over 400 suspected illegal immigrants rounded up in Odisha for verification: police
Intensifying its efforts to identify immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar illegally residing in Odisha, the Jharsuguda district administration recently rounded up 444 suspected foreign nationals, officials said. 'We have brought 444 suspected foreign nationals to a centre where their identity verification is being carried out as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Odisha government,' Jharsuguda Superintendent of Police (SP) Parmar Smit Parshottamdas said on Tuesday. 'These people were mainly working in the construction sector while some were engaged in the mining sector. All 444 of them are men,' the SP said. Officials said the police have detained four Bangladeshi nationals in the port town of Paradip as well and their verification process has been completed. In May, the MHA had set a 30-day deadline for all States and Union Territories to verify the identity and documentation of individuals suspected to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. Those failing to produce valid documents would be liable for deportation, officials said. It also instructed States to invoke their statutory powers to detect, detain and deport illegal immigrants. Following the MHA directives, the Odisha government has constituted a special task force in each district comprising officers from different departments.
NDTV
7 hours ago
- NDTV
Over 400 Bangladeshi, Rohingya Immigrants Detained In Odisha
Jharsuguda: Police has started the interrogation of 444 people suspected to be illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants living in Odisha's Jharsuguda district. Among those detained, 265 individuals were temporarily housed at Surabhi Kalyana Mandap, while the remaining were moved to a holding centre on the premises of Black Diamond College of Engineering and Technology. Preliminary reports suggest that several of the detainees have been working as labourers, masons or hawkers across the district. Pending interrogation and document checks, those found staying in India illegally will face legal action and be deported. The individuals were detained in an operation launched, on instructions of the Union Home ministry, to identify foreign nationals who may have entered India without legal documentation. It was launched after reports of a large number of Bangladeshi migrants staying illegally in the district, as per sources. The detentions have brought to light growing concerns over unauthorised immigration in Odisha, raising questions about border security and economic migration.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Cops detain more than 400 in bid to detect illegal Bangladeshi settlers
Bhubaneswar/Jharsuguda: Police on Tuesday detained more than 400 individuals in Jharsuguda district in an attempt to identify illegal Bangladeshi settlers following a recent directive from the Union home ministry. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The move comes on a day a Bangladeshi family was also detained in Paradip based on intelligence inputs. Speaking to TOI, DGP Y B Khurania said the move is part of an ongoing process to identify foreigners who have settled illegally in the country. "We are following due process of law. As per guidelines, the suspects are asked for documents, and a district-level committee sends these credentials to their counterparts in India where they have been issued, to ascertain whether they are bona fide citizens of India," Khurania said. In Jharsuguda, the individuals have been kept in two designated holding centres — a private engineering college and a wedding venue. The detainees include masons and construction labourers among others. Inspector general (northern range) Himanshu Lal said so far, 444 suspected individuals have been brought to the centres, and verification process is ongoing. "Among them, those identified as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants will be dealt with as per law," Lal said. In a recent assembly statement, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi had revealed that 3,738 Bangladeshi infiltrators have been identified across the state, with the highest numbers being in Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur districts. Jharsuguda superintendent of police Smit P Parmar said a special task force was constituted at the district level to identify suspected individuals. Since May, police have been preparing a list of suspects based on local intelligence inputs. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Starting Monday night, police conducted multiple raids across Jharsuguda district. All 12 police stations in the district were involved in the raids. "The process of verifying their citizenship is currently underway, and further details will be shared in due course," Parmar said. In Paradip, four members of a Bangladeshi family were detained for allegedly residing illegally in the region. The operation was based on intelligence reports indicating the family's unauthorised status. The detained individuals — a 40-year-old man, his wife (38), daughter and son, aged 19 and 17 — were unable to produce valid Indian citizenship documents. "Instead, authorities found documents confirming their Bangladeshi citizenship," said Rashmi Ranjan Das, inspector in-charge of Paradip Lock police station. During interrogation, the family admitted to being natives of Dakop sub-district in Khulna district of Bangladesh. They reportedly entered India illegally through riverine routes in May, initially residing in West Bengal before moving to Jagatsinghpur district. The development comes even as West Bengal chief secretary Manoj Pant wrote to his Odisha counterpart Manoj Ahuja on July 3 alleging that Bengali-speaking people were being unjustly labelled as Bangladeshi infiltrators in Odisha. "This sweeping generalisation is not only unfair and discriminatory, but also deeply hurtful to citizens who have every right to dignity and protection under the law," Pant wrote. The West Bengal chief secretary noted that he had received reports of such individuals being detained without due legal process in regions around Paradip and across coastal districts such as Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Malkangiri, Balasore and Cuttack. He wrote that even when these persons produce valid identity documents including Aadhaar cards, ration cards, voter IDs, electricity bills, and PDS documents, their claims are being dismissed. DGP Khurania dismissed the allegations, saying there has been no violation of procedure. (With inputs from Ashis Senapati in Kendrapada)
