A large group of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants assembled at the Hakimpur checkpost near the international border in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, on Friday in response to the new BJP-led state government's implementation of a 'detect, delete and deport' policy.

Many of the immigrants have lived in various parts of West Bengal for several years and expressed fear of legal consequences, including potential imprisonment and substantial fines, as their reason for attempting to return to Bangladesh.

One immigrant who recently arrived in India said, “I came here a year ago. I asked my friend if there would be work available here, and he said yes, this is why I came here from Bangladesh.”

Abdul, who has resided in the state since 2017, described the change in administration’s approach: “We don’t have any documents here. I came here in 2017. It’s 2026, and it’s been 9 years. The current government policy is that anyone without documents cannot stay here, or else they will face jail and fines. We don’t have the means to pay the fine. We don’t have any documents. We lived here as a guest house. Initially, we couldn’t pay rent, but some local Muslims helped us. Once, during the municipal elections, our name was called. We even stood in line, but didn’t appear.”

He added, “The councillor didn’t know about us, but the party members knew about us, and no one told us to go back. You are from Bangladesh. After the BJP government came to power, we were forced to leave. Before, when Didi (former CM Mamata Banerjee) was here, there were no problems. We lived here in Barasat, drove a rickshaw, and it’s been three or four years since we have ever had a problem. It was better when Didi was there. Now that a new government has come into power, we are leaving out of fear. I am alone and worried about my life, so I am leaving for my home in Bangladesh. I don’t have any documents from here; I have documents from Bangladesh.”

Sumaiya Khatun, who is returning to Bangladesh with her two-year-old daughter, recounted her experience of entering India through a broker: “I want to stay here, but no one is letting me stay, so I am going back. I have my parents and siblings in my family. I am alone here. My husband left with another girl. The current situation here has my husband saying, ‘You are Bangladeshi, go back,’ so I am leaving. We met on Facebook two years ago. We used to talk on the phone. I crossed the border and came. We got married in a temple in Madhyamgram,” she said.

Regarding her illegal entry, she stated, “A broker helped me cross the border two years ago, charging me Rs 15,000. I took this money from home without telling my parents. After marriage, I tried to get my documents made, but they didn’t work. Now I am going back. My mother is waiting for me there. I will never see or talk to my husband again. I also have a two-year-old daughter.”

This development follows the West Bengal government’s directive to all district magistrates to establish holding centres for apprehended foreigners and released foreign prisoners awaiting deportation or repatriation, in accordance with Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines.