A day after Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena directed the Delhi Police commissioner to initiate “strict action” against “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants” residing in the Capital, the police on Wednesday launched a drive to crack down on such persons.
The drive was undertaken in various parts of the city, including Kalindi Kunj, Uttam Nagar, Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Nagar, where officers checked documents of people living in slums, footpaths and unauthorised colonies, said police.
“Some of them who did not have proper documents have been brought to the police station for questioning… If they are found to be illegal immigrants, they would be deported,” said an officer.
“We are visiting colonies, settlements and any other area where we suspect illegal migrants are residing. We are checking their documents, even those whose documents are from Assam or states close to Bangladesh… we are cross-verifying the details. Those found illegally residing will be booked under the Foreigners Act and deported,” the officer added.
The police said it’s a routine exercise that they follow. In the past, illegal migrants – be it Nigerians or Bangladeshis – have been deported, they added.
The move comes after a delegation of ulemas (clerics) and Muslim leaders from Hazrat Nizamuddin met L-G V K Saxena on Saturday and expressed concern over the treatment of minority communities in Bangladesh and urged stringent action against infiltrators in the city, the L-G Office had said in a note.
It also directed the chief secretary to provide a time-bound response with the submission of weekly progress reports on the matter.
