SIR panic: 500 Bangladeshis stranded; BSF blocks border return

KOLKATA: Several 100 Bangladeshi nationals - men, women and children - were intercepted by BSF astatine Hakimpur cheque station adjacent Swarupnagar, successful North 24 Parganas, connected Monday morning.

They were allegedly attempting to transverse the borderline to instrumentality location amid increasing fears linked to the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls.Personnel of BSF's 143rd Battalion detected the question portion monitoring a riverine agelong of the borderline and detained the radical for questioning. A root said this was the largest azygous batch of suspected undocumented Bangladeshi nationals intercepted this year.The incidental follows a noticeable summation successful reverse migration attempts, peculiarly done porous borderline loop of North 24 Parganas.

By Tuesday afternoon, fig of stranded Bangladeshis astatine Hakimpur borderline constituent swelled to implicit 500, said BSF officials. Carrying blankets, and indispensable belongings, the detainees - who person been camping adjacent Zero Line since Monday nighttime - admitted to entering India illegally and moving successful Kolkata's suburbs without valid documents.

None possessed passports, visas oregon individuality papers, BSF officials added.

Many detainees said they lived illegally for years successful Birati, Madhyamgram, Rajarhat, New Town and Salt Lake, moving chiefly arsenic home workers, regular labourers oregon operation workers.

Earlier this month, BSF intercepted 94 much Bangladeshis attempting to transverse backmost done the Tarali borderline nether Hakimpur.Speaking to reporters, respective detainees said the intensified papers scrutiny nether SIR triggered panic. "I was staying successful a rented location for much than a decennary and moving arsenic home help. I person nary documents. Now I privation to instrumentality to Satkhira," said Taklima Khatun.BSF unit said that erstwhile specified migrants are detained, their identities are verified done questioning. Basic data, including fingerprints and photos, are collected earlier BSF contacts their Bangladeshi counterpart - Border Guard Bangladesh - for repatriation.