West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday claimed that around 4,800 “illegal immigrants” have been sent to Bangladesh from holding centres set up in the state’s border districts, while another 836 people are awaiting deportation.
Addressing a preparatory meeting for the BJP’s special training camp, Adhikari described illegal immigration as a major concern and said the state government had begun deporting people who do not qualify under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
“These people are being handed over to the BSF directly,” Adhikari said, claiming that the process follows Union government laws.
Border Fencing a Priority, Says Adhikari
Adhikari said the state government has handed over land to the Border Security Force (BSF) for fencing parts of the India-Bangladesh border. According to him, nearly 100 km of land has been provided out of the required 556 km for fencing.
“We have handed over to the BSF around 100 km stretch of land out of 556 km required for fencing, and prioritised the Chicken’s Neck corridor in north Bengal,” he said.
The “Chicken’s Neck,” officially known as the Siliguri Corridor, is a narrow strip of land in north Bengal that connects mainland India with the northeastern states and is considered strategically important.
West Bengal shares the longest international border with Bangladesh among Indian states, stretching around 2,217 km.
TMC Accused of Inaction
Adhikari alleged that the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government did not properly implement laws concerning undocumented migrants and accused it of keeping such individuals in state jails at public expense.
He also claimed that many undocumented immigrants had left voluntarily, particularly through the Hakimpur border in North 24 Parganas district.
“The demography of Bengal has changed,” Adhikari claimed, accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led government of ignoring infiltration and demographic changes for political reasons.
Census and Delimitation Mentioned
Adhikari further alleged that census-related work had been delayed under the previous government and said the BJP administration has now started preparations.
According to him, house surveys are expected to be conducted from August 1 to 15, with the census process likely to be completed by the end of February next year.
“The census will be completed by the end of next February, and delimitation will be held based on it,” he said.
No official data from the state government or the BSF was immediately available to independently verify Adhikari’s claims regarding the number of deportations or pending cases.
