Launch drive to identify illegal Bangladeshi migrants, UP police told

Amid a row over the National Register of Citizens in Assam, the police in Uttar Pradesh now have been asked to run a campaign to identify illegal Bangladeshi migrants and other foreigners residing in the state.

The Director General of Police of the state, OP Singh, has written a letter in this regard to all the district chiefs, stating that many Bangladeshis are residing in the state illegally, reported news agency PTI.

In a letter written in Hindi, he said, “In the present scenario, to strengthen the state’s internal security, it is necessary to identify and verify Bangladeshis and other foreigners residing in the state.” The DGP’s office released the letter to the media on Tuesday (October 1).

The police were directed to identify places like railway stations, bus terminals and new colonies where such illegal migrants could take shelter, the report added. They were also asked to verify the identity of the residents there and to video record the exercise.

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“If during the probe people claim that they belong to another district or state, this should be verified. It should also be probed what documents, like ration cards, voter ID cards, driving licences and passports, they have procured to legalise their stay,” the DGP wrote in the letter.

Also, an NDTV report quoted him as saying that the move has nothing to do with NRC. He said it was a usual policing exercise aimed at strengthening the state’s security mechanism.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday reiterated that the Narendra Modi government will bring the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) before implementing the NRC in the states.

Speaking at a seminar on NRC in Kolkata, the BJP chief also assured that Hindu, Singh, Jain, Buddhist and Christian refugees will not be forced to leave the country and that the CAB will ensure that these people get Indian citizenship. However, he asserted that all “infiltrators” will be thrown out of India.

(With inputs from agencies)

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