On the very day the Prime Minister declared India’s firm resolve to completely halt infiltration from Bangladesh, the East Burdwan district administration identified a couple, who allegedly entered West Bengal illegally from the neighbouring country a decade ago.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a public meeting in Durgapur yesterday, stated that the government is determined to stop infiltration entirely and will not compromise on the matter.
Meanwhile, the East Burdwan district administration has interrogated the detained couple and launched a search for the alleged brokers who facilitated their illegal entry through the Benapole border, reportedly charging a mere Rs 1,000 per person.
Dulal Mondal, a native of Jessore, Bangladesh, entered India with his wife, Sima Mondal, in 2015. The couple initially stayed at the home of Dulal’s father-in-law, Kalishankar Mondal, in Udhharonpur, under the Sitahati Panchayat in Ketugram. Kalishankar himself is said to have entered India illegally in 2000, following his daughter’s marriage to Dulal.
The case came to light after a local resident of Sitahati Panchayat lodged a complaint in response to the government’s recent initiative to identify Bangladeshi nationals residing illegally across India. During the investigation, officials discovered that Dulal and his wife had managed to obtain voter ID cards (EPICs), Aadhaar cards, and ration cards. Notably, Dulal falsely listed his father-in-law as his father in the EPIC, allegedly to secure Indian citizenship.
The district administration has taken the matter seriously. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Katwa, Ahimsa Jain, summoned the couple to her office yesterday for questioning. During interrogation, Dulal reportedly admitted to the offence, stating: “We lived in Bangladesh for 15 years after our marriage. But following a local incident in which I suffered a head injury, my father-in-law advised us to move to India and settle here.”
The SDM commented, “We have launched a detailed investigation into the matter.”