The Odisha government has intensified efforts to identify and deport Bangladeshi infiltrators in coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF), Bengal Intelligence, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Union ministry of home affairs.
Making a statement in the state Assembly on Monday, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi said a dedicated team has been constituted for the identification, detention and deportation of Bangladeshi nationals staying illegally in Odisha. The government, he said, has already repatriated 49 such individuals.
The issue has drawn public attention amid recent reports of alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators being assaulted across the state. In many cases, however, those targeted turned out to be petty traders from neighbouring Bengal hawking goods in Odisha.
“We have issued strict instructions to all district superintendents of police to intensify surveillance and verification across the state. So far, identity verification has been conducted for 17,678 suspects. Of them, 51 were found to be illegal residents,” Majhi told the House, adding that
verification is ongoing for 50 persons.
“After the new government came to power, 51 Bangladeshi infiltrators have been traced and 49 of them have been sent back to Bangladesh. The remaining two were caught with forged passports, and cases have been registered against them,” he said.
Of the 49 repatriated persons, 24 were detected in Khurda, 15 in Cuttack, six in Ganjam, three in Kandhamal and one in Koraput.
Majhi informed the Assembly that the state has set up two state-level and 18 district-level detention centres for such cases. “A special mobile application is being used for real-time identification of infiltrators,” he added.
He said the state government is working closely with central agencies — including the BSF, IB, Bengal Intelligence and the home ministry — to ensure coordinated action. Intelligence units have been asked to keep strict vigil in districts considered vulnerable to infiltration. Sources said monitoring has been tightened along the coastal belt, particularly
in Khurda, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Balasore, Puri and Ganjam.
Last month, tension flared in Jagatsinghpur after the district administration demolished 17 houses belonging to suspected Bangladeshi nationals and a labour tout. The action followed complaints that one Alam, a former Merchant Navy worker, was running a trafficking network by bringing labourers from Bangladesh and deploying them across construction sites for commission. One of the demolished houses belonged to him. Police stumbled on the racket after rescuing several children, including non-Indians, from the area.
The state government has instructed district administrations to adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards illegal constructions linked to such activities.
However, concerns are rising over vigilante attacks. Hooligans, emboldened by the infiltration drive, have allegedly targeted innocent Bengali labourers from West Bengal. “Recently, a 24-year-old youth, Rahul Islam from Murshidabad, was attacked by so-called right-wing activists in Ganjam. Such incidents tarnish the state’s image and harm innocent people. We should act responsibly. Action must be taken against those who attacked Rahul,” said Congress spokesperson Amiya Pandav.
