21 suspected Bangladesh nationals detained in J&K’s Ramban

Jammu, Aug 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) As many as 21 suspected Bangladesh nationals have been detained in J&K’s Ramban district, police said on Monday.

The group, including three women and seven children, were detained in Ramban district while they were travelling in two vehicles towards Kashmir from Jammu.

“These vehicles were stopped for routine checking at a checkpoint in Ramban on Sunday. During verification, the individuals failed to produce any valid identity or travel documents to establish their legal stay in the country. Following preliminary questioning at the spot, all 21 persons were taken into custody and shifted to a police facility for further interrogation," a police official said.

The detained persons are suspected to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who entered India through Assam and reached Jammu by train, the official added.

According to officials, the group was reportedly heading to the Valley in search of work.

Police is probing whether the group was being assisted by any local or interstate network involved in facilitating the movement of illegal immigrants. It is making further inquiries and appropriate legal action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation, an official said.

Illegal immigration from Bangladesh to India remains one of the most politically sensitive, demographically complex, and legally contentious issues in South Asia.

While there is no official consensus on the exact number of undocumented Bangladeshi migrants currently residing in India, historical government estimations have placed the number at several million.

The issue has escalated following localised political shifts, resulting in aggressive tracking, detention, and repatriation measures.

Following the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) victory in West Bengal, the state government initiated an extensive, statewide crackdown to identify undocumented foreign nationals.

West Bengal authorities launched the SIR initiative alongside guidelines from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to purge official voter and welfare registries of undocumented individuals.

High-security detention facilities equipped with CCTV surveillance have been built across districts like Malda and Murshidabad to hold suspected illegal entrants for up to 30 days while biometric and demographic data is aggregated.

Thousands of undocumented individuals have been intercepted or deported through a bilateral nationality verification framework. Local police across other hubs like Delhi, Assam, and Maharashtra have similarly ramped up surveillance and detentions.

Source: IANS