The government of West Bengal has announced the establishment of ‘holding centers’ across every district to detain individuals suspected of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh or Myanmar. According to the new directives, these centers will be used to hold suspects for up to 30 days while their citizenship status is verified.The policy aims to streamline the identification and deportation process for foreign nationals.
Government authorities stated that these facilities will house not only new suspects but also individuals previously detained in state jails whose deportation process is underway. District magistrates and police commissioners have been instructed to identify and apprehend those who do not qualify under existing citizenship guidelines. Once detained, these individuals will be handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) for repatriation to their respective countries.
The move aligns with the guidelines issued by the Union Home Ministry’s Foreigners Division last year. Under this framework, law enforcement agencies are authorized to arrest individuals suspected of not being Indian citizens. The district magistrate or collector will hold the final authority to decide on their status after a 30-day verification window.
Furthermore, special task forces are being formed in each district to assist in the detection and deletion of records for those found to be residing illegally. Biometric data of all detainees will be uploaded to a central government portal, and they will be officially blacklisted from entering India in the future.
