West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday said that suspected Bangladeshi infiltrators detained in the state should not be produced before courts and instead be directly handed over to the Border Security Force for deportation. The statement came after the state government introduced a new procedure that reportedly came into effect a day earlier.
Speaking after an administrative review meeting at the Howrah district magistrate’s office, Adhikari said clear instructions had already been issued to the police commissioner and the Railway Protection Force regarding the new process. According to him, those identified as illegal migrants from Bangladesh and not eligible under the Citizenship Amendment Act would be transferred directly to BSF border outposts instead of being taken through the court system.
“The new rule has come into effect since yesterday,” Adhikari said, adding that detained individuals should first be provided food and then taken directly to BSF personnel stationed at border points such as Petrapole in Bongaon and Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district.
The Chief Minister said the move is part of a broader “detect, delete and deport” policy announced earlier this week by the state government to deal with illegal immigration. He also stated that weekly reports on detainees would be sent to the Chief Minister’s Office through the Director General of Police.
The policy appears to be linked to the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, which was passed by Parliament last year. The law aims to modernise immigration monitoring, detention and deportation procedures using a technology-driven framework.
The announcement has triggered political reactions across the state. Supporters of the move have described it as necessary for border security and illegal immigration control, while critics have raised concerns over legal procedures and the bypassing of judicial scrutiny in such cases. No official response from opposition parties had been issued immediately after the announcement.
Adhikari also reviewed civic infrastructure and development plans for Howrah during the meeting and expressed hope that the delimitation process for Howrah and Bally municipal areas would be completed by the end of the year ahead of civic elections.
