Govt vigilant on illegal Bangla immigrants: HM

Belagavi: The state government is cracking down on illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and also on the middlemen helping them with fake identity cards, Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Thursday.

So far, as many as 53 cases have been registered against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. This is out of an overall 764 cases registered against illegal immigrants from various countries residing in the state. 

Parameshwara was responding in the Legislative Council to a question raised by MLC Umashree about the measures taken by the state government to crack down on illegal migrants.

“There are several illegal Bangladeshi nationals in Karnataka. They are coming by lorries and trucks. There are middlemen helping them secure fake ration and Aadhaar cards. The government must take strict action,” Umashree said.

Responding to it, Parameshwara said the police had already been sensitised about the problem and there was strict monitoring in all police jurisdictions. “The Centre has identified states where illegal immigration from Bangladesh is found to be high and these include Maharashtra, Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. They have asked us to be on alert,” the minister said. 

As per data available with the Centre a total of 37 illegal Bangladeshis have been deported in 2023, 24 in 2022 and 11 in 2021, he added.