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News18 reached Hakimpur checkpost, where a large number of people have been arriving since Tuesday, hoping to return to Bangladesh
According to local administrative sources, more than 200 Bangladeshi nationals are currently being kept in holding centres in the Hakimpur area, following which legal deportation procedures are expected to be initiated. Image/News18
The “Detect, Delete and Deport” policy of the new West Bengal government led by BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari appears to be having a strong impact on alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators in border areas of North 24 Parganas. Hakimpur border check post has once again emerged as a major transit point, with hundreds of Bangladeshis gathering there, allegedly in fear of an intensified crackdown on illegal infiltration.
News18 reached Hakimpur checkpost. A large number of people have been arriving at the border area since Tuesday, May 26, hoping to return to Bangladesh amid fears of stricter enforcement measures. Many of them were later shifted to holding centres set up by the government for verification and deportation proceedings under existing law.
This is not the first time Hakimpur has witnessed such scenes. During the period of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), similar visuals had emerged from the same area, where alleged infiltrators camped near the border for days. At that time, the Trinamool Congress-led state administration was accused by opposition parties of remaining in denial over the issue.
This time, however, the situation appeared markedly different. News18 visited Hakimpur, located over three hours from Kolkata, and found that many of those arriving at the border were being moved directly to holding centres. Several families were temporarily sheltering inside abandoned, under-construction buildings near the check post.
Many of the individuals interviewed by News18 claimed they possessed Indian identity documents, including Aadhaar cards, ration cards, and voter IDs, and alleged that these had been arranged with the help of local TMC leaders.
Ruby Biwi, originally from Khulna in Bangladesh, was sitting at the Hakimpur border with her family when she spoke to News18.
“I had an Aadhaar card, a ration card—all the documents. These cards were arranged by local TMC leaders. They told us nothing would happen. But now the government has changed, and they are saying Bangladeshis will not be allowed to stay here anymore. Now we have to go back. We used to live and work in Dum Dum. We also received Lakshmir Bhandar and other facilities,” she alleged.
Another man, Santu Mollah from Jashore, claimed that local political leaders helped them obtain voter identity cards.
“TMC leaders made voter IDs for us. We availed all facilities. I came here nine years ago, and we also voted. This time our names were deleted. Earlier, local party leaders told us nothing would happen and that Didi would return to power. Now the government has changed, and police action has become very strict. That is why we have come here to return,” he alleged.
Farad Shek, another individual present at the border, made similar claims.
“We came here from Bangladesh years ago. We have voter cards, Aadhaar cards, and everything. TMC helped us make voter cards. They gave us voter cards and we gave them votes,” he alleged.
The BJP has for years accused the Trinamool Congress of using infiltrators as a vote bank. The statements made by several people at Hakimpur are likely to intensify the political confrontation over infiltration and voter identity documentation in West Bengal.
Some individuals also admitted to paying money to middlemen to cross the border illegally.
Aktarul Mollah, a resident of Jashore, claimed he paid Rs 10,000 to a “dalal” to enter India four years ago.
“I was working as a painter in Dum Dum. Now police have told us we cannot stay, so we have come here,” he told News18.
Another individual, Sirajul, claimed he crossed the border five years ago after paying Rs 6,000.
Three major points emerged from the News18 ground report in Hakimpur:
Several individuals alleged they entered India by paying money to border middlemen or “dalals”.
Many claimed they earlier believed they enjoyed political protection under the TMC government, but now fear stronger enforcement measures under the new administration.
Some alleged that local TMC leaders helped them obtain Aadhaar and voter identity cards, which they said later enabled them to become part of the party’s electoral support base.
According to local administrative sources, more than 200 Bangladeshi nationals are currently being kept in holding centres in the Hakimpur area, following which legal deportation procedures are expected to be initiated.
North Twenty Four Parganas, India, India
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