In a renewed crackdown on illegal immigration, the Odisha Police on Monday detained 18 suspected Bangladeshi nationals from various villages in the coastal Kendrapara district.
As part of an ongoing drive to identify undocumented foreign nationals residing in the region, the individuals were apprehended from the villages of Rajendranarayanpur, Rangani, Kereragada, and Gopalpur.
According to Talachua Marine Police Station Inspector-in-Charge Bimal Kumar Mallick, the detainees were unable to produce valid documents to prove their Indian citizenship and were fluent in Bengali, raising suspicions of Bangladeshi origin.
“They failed to furnish any proof of Indian identity. Given their language proficiency and background, we suspect they are Bangladeshi infiltrators,” said Inspector Mallick. All 18 have been placed in a detention centre in Kendrapara and are currently being interrogated further.
The operation follows a directive issued by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi during his visit to Kendrapara on 9 June. The Chief Minister, who also holds the Home portfolio, had instructed local authorities to intensify efforts to identify and act against foreign nationals unlawfully residing in the district.
In March this year, Chief Minister Majhi informed the Odisha Legislative Assembly that 3,738 Bangladeshi nationals had been identified as living illegally in the state. Kendrapara has the highest number with 1,649 cases, followed by Jagatsinghpur (1,112), Malkangiri (655), Bhadrak (199), Nabarangpur (106), and Bhubaneswar (17).
Historical migration from Bangladesh to Odisha, particularly due to religious persecution, predates India’s independence. The influx increased significantly during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. According to officials, the Central Government had rehabilitated 1,57,432 Bangladeshi refugees across 11 districts under its refugee resettlement policy.
Malkangiri district alone hosts 1,04,233 of these resettled individuals, followed by Nabarangpur (46,848), Khurda (4,653), Kendrapara (441), Jajpur (379), Rayagada (304), Bhadrak (200), Koraput (194), Kalahandi (90), Balasore (75), and Angul (15).
In 2005, ‘Quit India’ notices were issued to 1,711 Bangladeshis residing in coastal Odisha under the provisions of the Foreigners Act. However, the deportation process was stalled due to allegations of wrongful identification. Prior to that, 21 Bangladeshi nationals had been deported under the same act, an official added.