'Reverse exodus' at Bengal border amid deportation drive

The renewed rush comes days after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that West Bengal would aggressively implement a 'detect, delete and deport' policy against infiltrators.

West Bengal's Bharatiya Janata Party government's decision to establish district-level holding centres for suspected illegal immigrants appears to have triggered a fresh 'reverse exodus' through the international border, with scores of alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators gathering at the Hakimpur checkpoint in North 24 Parganas district seeking to return home, officials said.

The renewed rush comes days after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that West Bengal would aggressively implement a 'detect, delete and deport' policy against infiltrators.

Speaking to reporters after an administrative meeting at Kalyani attended by officials from Nadia, Hooghly and North 24 Parganas districts, Adhikari claimed that those assembled at the border point were willing to return to Bangladesh.

"Jaldi jaldi bhago nahi toh jo karna hai sarkar karega (Quickly leave, otherwise the government will take necessary action)," Adhikari said, referring to the gathering at the border point while directing officials to ensure that those present are sent back to their country at the earliest.

"We do not want to feed them in jails or waste public money on them. This is actually harming the Indians, especially in West Bengal. The law was there, but was not utilised by a few people (by the previous government) for vote bank politics. We will implement this for the sake of the country and the state," he said.

Alleged infiltrators gather at Hakimpur to return to Bangladesh

Large bags, rolled-up blankets and plastic sheets had returned to the Hakimpur border crossing on Tuesday, reviving a scene that had briefly unsettled West Bengal's political landscape last winter during the SIR exercise.

Men, women and children sat in clusters under makeshift covers, waiting for their names to be called and for permission to cross over into Bangladesh.

For many in West Bengal's border areas, the visuals felt like a replay.

The 'reverse exodus' of undocumented migrants, first witnessed during the voter roll Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in November last year, appears to have resurfaced after the state's newly installed BJP government initiated its 'detect, delete and deport' drive.

At Hakimpur in North 24 Parganas' Basirhat subdivision, more than 200 alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators were found waiting over the last two days for a call from BSF personnel at the checkpoint so they could return to their country across the border.

Carrying trolleys, utensils and bundles, they presented reminders of lives packed in haste and uncertainty.

"This reverse exodus started in November last year. Early this year, the numbers had gone down, but over the last two days they have risen significantly. We are following necessary procedures and are in touch with our counterparts in Bangladesh," a senior Border Security Force official said.

Holding centres being set up across districts

BSF personnel indicated that many arriving at Hakimpur were voluntarily approaching authorities seeking repatriation.

Those awaiting return had reportedly lived for years in places such as Dum Dum, New Town and Dankuni, working as masons, labourers and domestic help.

"If the government does not allow us to stay, what option do we have except returning?" one man waiting near the checkpoint said.

The SIR exercise had also triggered panic among undocumented residents across parts of West Bengal.

Back then, too, people with large sacks and bundles had lined Hakimpur, fearing that scrutiny would expose forged or borrowed papers.

The movement slowed after a couple of months. But now, the change of power appears to have restarted the momentum.

Simultaneously, the administration has begun setting up holding centres in districts to temporarily house suspected Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas pending verification and deportation proceedings.

The state government has directed all districts to establish holding centres to house 'apprehended foreigners' and 'released foreign prisoners' till deportation formalities are completed.

Malda became the first district where such a facility became operational, housing nine suspected Bangladeshi nationals.

In West Bengal's politics, however, migration figures often carry meanings larger than administrative statistics.

The SIR exercise had triggered one of the sharpest political confrontations during the previous regime's final months.

The then opposition BJP argued that voter verification exposed deeper demographic concerns, while the TMC dismissed allegations of infiltration and accused the exercise of targeting vulnerable communities.

Former chief minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee had personally joined protests against the SIR process and repeatedly questioned its intent.

The BJP's counter-argument then was political as much as administrative: a favourable environment, it claimed, had reassured illegal entrants and slowed voluntary departures.

"You won't have to search for them. They will leave on their own," BJP leaders had maintained during the campaign.