Latest news with #BlackDiamondCollegeofEngineeringandTechnology
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
277 detained Bengali workers released after document verification: Odisha police
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha police on Thursday released 277 Bengali workers who were detained in Jharsuguda district as part of a crackdown on suspected illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas after verifying their documents, police said. Police said those detained were accommodated at designated facilities with access to adequate food, water, hygiene and medical care. Since Monday, 444 individuals — from West Bengal's Nadia, Murshidabad, Malda, Purba Medinipur, Birbhum, Purba Bardhaman, and South 24 Parganas — had been rounded up during raids in colonies where Bengali-speaking labourers reside, and shifted to holding centres at Black Diamond College of Engineering and Technology in Jharsuguda sub-division and Surabhi Kalyan Mandap in Brajrajnagar sub-division Trinamul Congress (TMC) member of Parliament (MP) Mahua Moitra claimed on Wednesday that 23 of those detained were from her parliamentary constituency in Bengal and that they had the valid documents. Later, police in Jharsuguda district let 25 of those detained at holding centres to go back to their home state. On Thursday, 277 more were allowed to go after police checked their birth certificates and passports. 'Without verifiable documents, it is imperative to crosscheck records to confirm whether the persons are Indian citizens or foreign nationals. This process is critical to protect our borders and ensure the safety of our nation. Those detained are accommodated at designated facilities with access to adequate food, water, hygiene and medical care, in line with humanitarian standards,' inspector general (IG) of police, northern range, Himanshu Kumar Lal said. However, one of the persons, who was allowed to leave, said on condition of anonymity, 'There were just three toilets for more than 200 people. We slept on the floor and were served food that consisted of rice and curry. We are hardworking people and the food that was served was barely enough.' Another person said, 'Many of us don't have birth certificates and it would be very difficult to get those at such short notice. Police should have been a little considerate.' The verification process is being conducted by senior officers via a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) and with multiple layers of scrutiny. An official at the detention centre said the biographic and biometric data of all migrants are being captured and then uploaded on the Foreigners Identification Portal (FIP). 'All 10 Fingerprints (4+4+2 manner) of both right and left hand are being scanned and saved in the FIP in an online manner. The photograph is being clicked by using a camera integrated with the desktop. Once all required demographic and biometric data is entered in the FIP system, the applicant record is to be marked as complete,' said an official. On Wednesday, TMC MP Mahua Moitra had alleged that the workers from Bengal were being illegally detained by Odisha police under the pretext of a documentation drive though they had valid Aadhaar and EPIC cards. 'Please don't think there's no one to fight for these workers. If they are not released immediately, we will file 23 habeas corpus petitions and I will go there myself. In 23 years of Naveen Patnaik's BJD government, this has never happened. But in the past year, since the BJP came to power (in the state), this has become a daily occurrence,' she said in a video message posted on X.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Odisha releases 25 after verifying documents amid crackdown on suspected illegal immigrants
BHUBANESWAR: WITH the state government's crackdown on suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and Rohingyas sparking a political row, particularly the Trinamool Congress voicing its stiff opposition, Odisha police on Wednesday released at least 25 of the 444 people who were shifted to holding centres in Jharsuguda district since Monday night. Police said the document verification of the 25 people was completed and they were ascertained to be Indian nationals. The verification of the remaining 419 persons was currently underway and further action will be initiated accordingly. The people have been kept at two holding centres - Black Diamond College of Engineering and Technology in Jharsuguda sub-division and Surabhi Kalyan Mandap in Brajrajnagar sub-division. The release of the 25 people came hours after the TMC claimed they were migrant workers from West Bengal and alleged they were being held illegally. TMC MP from Krishnanagar, Mahua Moitra, alleged that 23 workers from her constituency's Panighata area were detained as part of the documentation verification drive. Posting a video statement on X, Moitra drew the attention of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, state chief secretary and DGP to the matter. She asserted that all the 23 people possess valid documents. Her party counterpart in the Rajya Sabha Samirul Islam alleged that the Odisha government has detained over 200 migrant workers from various districts of West Bengal including Murshidabad, Birbhum, Malda, Nadia, Purba Bardhaman and South 24 Parganas on grounds of being Bangladeshi nationals. Responding to the allegations, the Odisha government said it understood the concerns raised regarding the holding of individuals in Jharsuguda but asserted that safeguarding national interest and security remained paramount and cannot be compromised. Those found with with valid documents are already returning or are in the process of returning to their place of stay, it said.
NDTV
4 days 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.
