Hundreds of people are gathering daily at the Hakimpur border outpost in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, seeking to cross into Bangladesh’s Satkhira district following the new West Bengal government’s announcement that “Bangladeshi infiltrators” will no longer be allowed to stay.
Just days after the BJP won in West Bengal and Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari announced that “Bangladeshi infiltrators” would be sent back, people wishing to return to Bangladesh have been gathering at the border every morning.
“In the beginning, 10-12 people were coming daily, then this number has been increasing. From about three days ago, the number has reached several hundred,” said Hasanur Ghazi, a local resident of Hakimpur, told BBC.
Many of those gathering at the border say they came to India through “secret paths” and were living and working in West Bengal “illegally” — some two years ago, some five or six years ago.
At the border outpost, those waiting to go to Bangladesh are first told to wait in an abandoned house. Police personnel then call each family one by one to verify documents, including Bangladeshi identity cards. Names, identities, and home districts in Bangladesh are recorded, and photographs are taken.
After that, they must wait near the outpost.
The local administration and BSF have not officially commented on how individuals are being sent back to Bangladesh. However, residents of Hakimpur are witnessing everything unfold.
The central government has announced that no case will be filed against those who came to India illegally if they wish to return “voluntarily” — but that announcement came after crowds had already begun gathering at the border. Further developments are awaited.
