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Hindustan Times
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Delhi: Awaiting deportation in a city defined by displacement
In the quiet, residential lanes in northwest Delhi's Rohini Sector 18, is an ageing community hall, its faded brick facade blending into the quaint neighbourhood. Passersby may take it for a wedding hall past its prime — a relic of municipal planning, perhaps now used for meetings by local politicians or RWA events. A closer inspection puts such theories to rest. There's a police van outside. Officers smoke quietly in the shade. Inside, Bangladeshi nationals lie on mattresses, waiting for deportation. Whatever the hall may have been in the past, it is now a detention centre for illegal immigrants. It's not the only one. Across Delhi — in gated colonies, buildings yet to be inaugurated, even hotels — makeshift detention centres have sprung up. In a city defined by displacement and migration, the state has built infrastructure of containment, mostly operating in public sight, but without widespread attention. Behind the centres is a December order from the Delhi lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, empowering the police, under directions from the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO), to identify and detain undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants. With Lampur — the Capital's official detention centre near Narela — nearing its 500-person capacity, Delhi Police has begun converting community halls, budget hotels, even police posts into temporary holding facilities. Since January, officials say, over 1,200 Bangladeshi nationals have been detained and deported. A senior police officer, who earlier served in the FRRO, said on the condition of anonymity, that the Lampur detention centre has three parts with a capacity of housing around 500 people in total, belonging to other countries — those awaiting deportation after the completion of their sentencing in Delhi jails for various crimes and those caught for visa violations and required deportation. 'These aren't hardened criminals,' explained a senior police officer. 'Lampur is meant for those who've committed crimes or require long-term holding. For most Bangladeshi nationals, we simply need a place to keep them before deportation. That's where these halls and buildings come in.' The MHA allows FRRO to restrict the movement of illegal migrants to a particular place or turn a place into a detention centre provided they follow the guidelines laid out by the ministry on necessary amenities — segregation of males and females, communication with lawyer and family members, food, water and hygiene among other requirements. Rohini: Rebirth of a community hall Inside the Rohini building, the air is still. A water cooler hums near the entrance. Five police officials — an assistant sub-inspector, two head constables, and two constables — sit with a register detailing daily entries. Across the room, four Bangladeshi men rest on mattresses neatly lined against the wall. Food packets lie unopened on a plastic table. Mohammed Alamgir, 28, is one of them. A labourer who once worked a stone-crushing machine in Faridabad, he arrived in India three years ago, smuggled in through the forests along the Hili border in West Bengal. 'I paid ₹10,000 to a man who promised me work,' Alamgir recalled. 'He took me on a bus into a forest. We crossed into West Bengal at night and from there, reached Faridabad by train.' Since then, he has barely left his workplace. 'I only saw Lal Qila, Jama Masjid, Chor Bazaar. I was always afraid of getting caught,' he said. He used to earn ₹15,000 in Faridabad, but his earnings were far lower as a labourer back in Bangladesh. He said he came to India because wanted to earn decent money and then build a house for his family in Bangladesh. But his voice faltered when he mentioned the phone he bought in January. 'They'll seize it now. They keep our cash and phones before we're deported.' He said the police treat them 'fine.' Food is served twice daily. 'I even manage to smoke — just out of CCTV range,' he smiled wryly. 'We clean the place ourselves.' The detainees, he said, aren't allowed outside. 'Whatever we need, we ask. The police help. They know we're not criminals.' The hall's caretaker, Chandan Singh, confirmed that the space was officially booked by police for Bangladeshi detainees. 'It's ₹15,000 a day. The last wedding here was in early May,' he said. 'Mostly, it's used by paramilitary forces during elections.' Outside, local resident Sushil Kumar, 61, offered a shrug when asked about the hall. 'Everyone here knows what's going on. But it's quiet. No trouble. They are not allowed to step outside. Police officials come and go,' he said. 'Better than letting the place go to waste.' A hotel you can't leave About 30km away in Hari Nagar, just a short walk from Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, stands Akash Continental — a faded hotel with 'Government Approved' painted on a bright yellow banner. The hotel occupies three floors in a building that houses commercial establishments (mostly shops) on the ground floor. In a room on the first floor the police housed a Bangladeshi family of five — a couple and their three daughters, all under 10 — for a few days. They were picked up from Rajouri Garden in mid-June and stayed at the hotel before deportation. 'The children didn't cry much,' said Pradeep Kumar, the hotel's security in-charge. 'The police were kind. Milk, medicines, everything was arranged.' Another room on the same floor was for the police detail. Two constables worked in shifts — one stayed by the door, while the other fetched supplies. 'The family wasn't allowed out. If they needed anything, they let us know,' Kumar said. Other guests on the floor were not told anything. The police team was led by a woman assistant commissioner of police (ACP), who visited often. Kumar couldn't confirm if the police has paid for the rooms. 'They came. They left. That's all I know.' A yet-to-be-opened police post North of the city, near Adarsh Nagar Metro station, a newly constructed police post stands tall — four floors of freshly painted walls and a still unused reception area. It was supposed to open months ago as the Bharola Police Post under Mahendra Park station. But the building has already found a different purpose. Since May, it has served as a detention centre for 35 Bangladeshi nationals, including women, transgender individuals, and children. Rooms on the first and second floors now house the detainees, under the watch of at least a dozen male and female police personnel and multiple CCTV cameras. When HT visited the facility on July 4, a pair of women peered through an open window before ducking out of sight. 'They just watch the Metro station across the street,' one officer said. 'There's nothing else to do. No TV. No phones.' Officers say conditions are basic but adequate. 'We can't allow you to go upstairs and meet the detained Bangladeshis. But we can confirm that all their basic needs are being taken care of. There are big air coolers, ceiling fans, water coolers, and mattresses for them. They get breakfast, tea, two meals a day, and evening snacks. There's milk powder for infants, and medical help if needed,' said one of the officers, deployed at the temporary detention centre. But not everything is peaceful. Some detainees, police say, have struggled with addiction. 'A few used to take drugs. Now they demand cigarettes or alcohol. When denied, they scream or pretend to fall ill. We take them to the hospital. Painkillers help them calm down,' said one constable. Every afternoon, a man named Sukhbir arrives with a kettle and bags of snacks. 'They beg for tobacco,' he said. 'But I've been told not to give them anything besides tea.' The building's official inauguration was postponed three times before it found a new use. Officers now believe it won't happen until the detainees are moved out — whenever that might be. Community halls in Vijay Vihar and Shakti Nagar Bordering the relatively upscale enclave of Shakti Nagar and its adjacent slum cluster is a modest community hall owned by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) — now a detention site. When HT visited on July 7, a Bangladeshi couple was sleeping inside, beside a pile of their belongings. A male and a female constable sat at the entrance. No one was allowed beyond the iron gate. 'They have food, water, coolers,' said the female constable. 'They're kept here until deportation. If there's an emergency, we have a vehicle ready.' Across the street, 28-year-old Lovekush, a seat-cover maker from Karol Bagh, watched without much concern. 'It's always been used by police,' he said. 'Not really a wedding hall; more like a camp.' In Vijay Vihar Phase-II, a hall run by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) tucked between a government school and a garbage dump serves the same purpose. When HT visited, the doors were bolted from inside and out. Police officers stood silently outside. A few figures could be seen moving behind barred windows. Locals here, too, were aware of the detainees. 'They don't cause trouble,' one man said. 'Police come and go. It's better than having them out on the streets.' A quiet operation For months now, Delhi's quiet detention network has grown — enabled by executive orders, enforced by local police, and stitched together through spaces originally built for entirely different purposes. FRRO officer Deepak Yadav and Delhi Police spokesperson, additional commissioner of police Sanjay Tyagi, could not be reached for a comment. According to prison reforms advocate Ajay Verma, former convener of the National Forum of Prison Reform, the detention centres should follow a set of guidelines issued by the ministry of home affairs. 'There should be no crowding, there should be clean food and water and toilets. Video call facility to connect with a lawyer or legal aid should also be provided and a medical facility if anyone is sick. These facilities need to be inspected if they are being used as detention centres,' said Verma. As Delhi navigates its fraught relationship with migration — especially from Bangladesh — the city has become the stage for an experiment in a quiet enforcement happening without fanfare. Outside the Rohini hall, dusk falls quietly. A constable lights a cigarette near the gate. Inside, Alamgir waits. 'I don't know when they will send me back,' he says. 'I only came to earn. I never thought it would end like this.'
Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Indian Express
Russian woman found in Karnataka cave may have to fund her air tickets to get deported, say legal experts
The Karnataka Police have initiated proceedings to deport a Russian woman and her two minor children who were recently spotted living in a remote cave near Gokarna in Uttara Kannada district. The police said they convinced the Russian woman, Nina Kutina, 40, to temporarily move to an ashram run by a sadhvi in Kumta taluk, stating that the area she was living in was prone to landslides and infested with poisonous snakes. Her two daughters are aged six and four years, respectively. M Narayan, Superintendent of Police, Uttara Kannada, said arrangements have been made to send Kutina and her children back to Russia by contacting and corresponding with the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Bengaluru. However, legal experts said that the deportation process was complicated and it could cost Kutina a lot of time and money. Sahana Basavapatna, a Bengaluru-based lawyer who has handled similar illegal immigrant cases, said neither the Indian government nor the Russian government funds their travel, forcing deportees to spend more time in detention centres. 'The governments ask illegal immigrants to raise funds for air tickets. I have seen some of the illegal immigrants spending a good amount of time in these centres in India. The immigrant will have to raise money, or someone will have to help deport them,' she added. Referring to the case of Pakistani national Iqra Jeewani, who was deported within days of her detention in 2023, Basavapatna stated that the government deports nationals of 'enemy countries' using its funds in view of potential threats. A police officer said Kutina is spiritually inclined and interested in natural living. 'As she is in a state of shock, we have just counselled her but have not tried to collect her details. There are a lot of questions – whether she or the children have taken COVID-19 vaccines, whether she has checked into any hotel without providing any documents, how she gave birth to the children if she was not admitted to a hospital… 'We also found that she had stored a good amount of groceries and wood in the cave to cook food. Yoga, chanting mantras, meditation, drawing and singing were part of her routine. We have initiated the process of taking her to Bengaluru,' the officer added. While both of Kutina's children were likely born in India, they would not get Indian citizenship, said experts. They said that according to the law, any person born in India after December 4, 2004, can get Indian citizenship if one parent is an Indian citizen, and the other parent is not an illegal immigrant. In Kutina's case, as she was an illegal immigrant at the time of her children's birth, the kids will not get Indian citizenship. Kutina entered India on a business visa that expired in 2017, much before the children were born.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Time of India
Bangla man uses fake docus for Indian ID cards, arrested
Kolkata: A Bangladeshi resident, currently staying on DC Dey Road in Tangra, was arrested on Saturday for obtaining with . Shake Ramzan Sekh Ramjan (36) had entered India on a Bangladeshi passport, said the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Kolkata. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now FRRO started an inquiry after receiving a tip-off about suspicious documentation and possible help from Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals, one of whom was arrested by the ED. "The accused misled multiple govt authorities to establish residency in India," said a senior FRRO official. Ramjan faces charges of forgery, cheating and violation of immigration laws. Abdul Wasid, a resident of Ekbalpore, was arrested on Friday from the port area for applying for a passport using a fake birth certificate.
