Suvendu says West Bangal sent 4,800 'illegal immigrants' to Bangladesh, 836 await deportation

Tackling “illegal immigration” and securing the India-Bangladesh border are key priorities for his government, the chief minister says

This undated photo shows 'illegal immigrants' at the Hakimpur border checkpoint in West Bengal (Courtesy: India Today TV)

Amid continued border standoffs, the West Bengal government claims to have deported nearly 4,800 “illegal immigrants” to Bangladesh, and is holding another 836 in custody pending repatriation.

The Indian state’s Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari told a meeting of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday that the 4,800 people were in “holding centres” set up in the state's border districts, reports India Today.

The meeting was convened for the BJP's "special training camp", where Suvendu said tackling “illegal immigration” and securing the India-Bangladesh border are key priorities for his government, which came to power last month.

In line with its election manifesto, the new BJP government -- formed for the first time in the state that shares a 2,200km border with Bangladesh -- has fast-tracked barbed-wire fencing and illegal immigrant deportation plans.

As the Border Guard Bangladesh keeps resisting continued “push-in” efforts amid a spike in such incidents by the Indian Border Security Force, Dhaka has already protested such infiltration bids twice.

The way people are being pushed out of India is “absolutely unacceptable” and both countries should follow “diplomatic procedures” to return any illegal immigrants, if any, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said on Monday.