India presses Bangladesh to fast-track deportation of illegal immigrants
There are over 2000 cases pending for nationality verification with the Bangladesh govt, says MEA
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal. (Photo:@airnewsalerts/X)
New Delhi, May 22: India has urged Bangladesh to expedite the nationality verification process to facilitate the deportation of illegal immigrants.
Addressing a weekly briefing on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that over 2,000 cases are pending verification with the Bangladesh government, and India is keen to accelerate the deportation process.
“We have a large number of Bangladeshi nationals in India who are required to be deported. We have asked the Bangladeshi side to verify their nationality. There is a pending list of more than 2,360 cases awaiting deportation. Many of these individuals have completed their jail sentences,” Jaiswal said, adding that the nationality verification process has been pending since 2020.
Infiltration has been a major issue along the border with Bangladesh. Earlier this month, at least five Bangladeshi citizens were arrested and subsequently pushed back by security personnel in Assam’s South Salmara district.
Bangladeshi infiltration has surged recently, driven by political turmoil in the neighbouring country. In particular, the collapse of Bangladesh’s textile industry has left many unemployed.
“We have arrested about 1,000 Bangladeshi nationals in the past few months. They were pushed back immediately after their arrest,” Chief Minister Sarma said recently.
The MEA’s move follows a directive from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to halt trade with Bangladesh through key land ports.
On May 17, the DGFT, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, issued a notification stating that imports “shall not be allowed through any Land Customs Stations (LCSs)/Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram; and LCS Changrabandha and Fulbari in West Bengal.”
The decision comes after Bangladesh’s banned yarn imports from India via land ports, as per a notification from its National Board of Revenue (NBR), in April. The development followed India’s earlier termination of a key trans-shipment facility that allowed Bangladeshi exports to pass through Indian seaports and airports.
-With inputs from the IANS