Odisha begins drive to identify & deport illegal B’desh nationals | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Odisha has begun a massive exercise to identify Bangladeshi nationals staying illegally in the state to ensure their deportation, law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said here on Monday.Speaking to the media, Harichandan said the drive will continue across the state. “No one who is not an Indian citizen will be allowed to stay here,” he said amid rising security concerns after the terrorist strike in Pahalgam.He said govt agencies are in touch with various engineering firms and have told them to share information about any foreigner being employed illegally. They have been told to stop such a practice or face action.The focus turned towards Bangladeshis staying illegally in the state after incidents of attacks on Hindus in the neighbouring country last year. The same intensified after the Pahalgam terror attack, with govt agencies deciding not to take any chances regarding illegal settlers, sources said.Pinak Mishra, DIG, special task force (STF) of crime branch, the nodal agency for identifying illegal immigrants, said very soon there would be guidelines in place for security agencies to identify hotspots of illegal immigrants, verify documents of suspects, and establish a reporting mechanism to ensure infiltrators do not go unnoticed. The guidelines will also help private firms undertake better background checks of workers and report about undocumented foreign nationals.“The STF has been coordinating with multiple agencies such as Marine Police, Indian Coast Guard, Railway Protection Force, district police and intelligence agencies to keep tabs on illegal settlers,” Mishra said, adding, there is strict vigil on the coastline by the agencies.The STF arrested 10 Bangladeshi nationals in March, including six men, three women and a child for entering the state illegally. Currently, they are in jail.Sources said though the govt move is for all undocumented foreigners, the focus has turned towards Bangladesh because a large number of them were illegally involved in construction work besides street vending, even in villages deep inside the state.According to official data, till 2021, the state identified 3,740 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators. They include 1,649 in Kendrapada, the highest, followed by 1,112 in Jagatsinghpur. Others include 655 in Malkangiri, 199 in Bhadrak, 106 in Nabarangpur, 17 in Bhubaneswar, and two in Bargarh. Govt agencies estimate their number may be far greater now.Earlier, the govt formed teams of officials at block, tehsil and police station levels, especially in Kendrapada, Bhubaneswar and Puri, which are suspected to be housing a large number of Bangladeshi nationals.
