Bangladeshi 'infiltrators' will be handed over to BSF instead of producing them before court: Suvendu

Bangladeshi "infiltrators" detained in the state would be directly handed over to India's Border Security Force (BSF) for deportation instead of being produced before courts, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said today (21 May).

Speaking to reporters after an administrative review meeting at the Howrah district magistrate's office, he said the new mechanism came into effect from yesterday and instructions had already been issued to police and railway authorities.

"Since yesterday, the new rule has come into effect under which infiltrators will not be sent to courts but handed over to BSF outposts at the Bangladesh border," Suvendu added.

According to the chief minister, undocumented migrants from Bangladesh who are not eligible to apply for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) would be transferred directly to BSF custody after detention.

"The police commissioner and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) have been clearly instructed that if illegal migrants from Bangladesh, who are not entitled to apply for citizenship under the CAA, are detained at the Howrah Station, they should not be sent to a court," he said.

He added that such detainees would instead be taken directly to BSF personnel stationed at the Petrapole border in Bongaon or the border outpost in Basirhat under North 24 Parganas district.

Suvendu yesterday formally announced the implementation of the new arrangement under which undocumented immigrants detained by the state police would be handed over directly to the BSF for deportation.

He also said weekly reports detailing the number of detainees handed over under the process would be submitted to the Chief Minister's Office.