New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) The decision of the West Bengal government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to launch a massive crackdown on illegal migrants and infiltrators, is being seen as a necessary and welcome move by India’s national security planners. Though the security agencies welcome the crackdown on illegal immigrants, they also warn of a push to other states in times to come.
The BJP government in West Bengal announced a strict, ‘detect, detain and deport’ protocol. The DGP and the Chief Secretary have been directed to ensure compliance.
Officials say that this has been one of the most pressing issues that the state has been facing.
What began as a systematic invasion courtesy the ISI and Jamaat-e-Islami in the 1970s has turned out to be a security nightmare for the agencies.
For several years, the influx of illegal immigrants affected just West Bengal. The problem then began to intensify in the northeastern states with Assam being the primary victim. An official said that today, the spread is nationwide.
While this decision is a welcome start, the official warns that attempts may be made to relocate illegal immigrants to other parts of India in a big way. The problem is being witnessed in Bihar and also in a very big way in South India.
Post the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, Pakistan realised that winning wars with India was not a possibility.
However, Islamabad wanted to hurt India and with conventional wars being ruled out, it planned illegal immigrations into Bharat along with the Jamaat-e-Islami.
Another official said that it began with the intention of flooding Indian states with illegal migrants. These persons then began outnumbering the Hindu majority in many states.
Over the years, these persons were roped into crime syndicates and with that came the money. The money was used to threaten the majority population and buy out their lands.
In several parts of West Bengal and Assam, these persons function like a mafia, the official said. They control the fake currency racket, narcotics trade and cattle smuggling.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that along with manpower and money they possessed another strength-vote bank.
Touts who would bring these illegal immigrants in would create false documents such as voter cards and Aadhaar cards. They would be instructed to vote for a particular party and had to return for the elections no matter which part of the country they were in.
Failure to vote meant that they would be sent back to their home country, the official explained.
An official said that the West Bengal government has identified the key problems that stand in the way of tackling this menace.
The ‘detect, detain and deport’ policy is the first step towards fighting the problem. Ensuring that illegal immigrants do not come into the country is another part of the problem.
There is heavy emphasis that has been given to border fencing. India and Bangladesh share a 2,200 km-long border, of which 1,600 kms has been fenced.
The government has announced an immediate handover of 75 acres which covers up to 27 kms. Out of this, 9 kms would be used for Border Security Force (BSF) outposts and the remaining for fencing. The target to complete this project would be one year.
This is a welcome move said another official. National security cannot be compromised for the sake of votes. Many of these illegal immigrants have not come to India just looking for jobs. They are part of a criminal syndicate that is being run by the ISI and Jamaat.
Many of them have been caught committing crimes, some of them are part of terror cells, while the rest participate in narcotics smuggling and distribution of fake Indian currency.
The official added that in addition to the crimes they commit and the demographic changes they affect, illegal immigrants are also robbing local jobs. This problem has been increasing in South India.
There are scores of touts in many parts of India who are in touch with the counterparts in states such as West Bengal and Assam.
They bring the illegal immigrants in to work at plantations and construction sites at very low costs. The people who hire them get used to the low costs, but they fail to understand that over a period of time these persons will start to dominate, like they have been doing in places such as Malda and Murshidabad, the official added.
Officials say that while the move by the West Bengal government is a great start, the agencies of other states must actively act on this problem.
The ‘detect, detain and deport’ strategy should be applied to all states where illegal immigrants are present, officials say.
With the West Bengal government beginning its crackdown, the touts would look to move the illegal immigrants in much larger numbers to other states, the official also added.
–IANS
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