Reverse Exodus at West Bengal Border Amid Immigration Crackdown

The recent immigration policy in West Bengal has caused a surge of Bangladeshi nationals returning through the Hakimpur checkpoint. This comes after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced a stringent 'detect, delete and deport' policy, initiating district holding centres to process suspected illegal immigrants.

West Bengal's BJP government's decision to launch district-level holding centres for suspected illegal immigrants appears to have triggered a fresh ''reverse exodus'' through the international border, with scores of alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators gathering at the Hakimpur checkpoint in North 24 Parganas seeking to return home.

The renewed rush comes days after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that West Bengal would aggressively implement a ''detect, delete and deport'' policy against infiltrators.

Large bags, rolled-up blankets and plastic sheets had returned to the Hakimpur border crossing on Tuesday, reviving a scene that had briefly unsettled West Bengal's political landscape last winter during the SIR exercise. Men, women and children sat in clusters under makeshift covers, waiting for their names to be called and for permission to cross over into Bangladesh.

For many in West Bengal's border areas, the visuals felt like a replay.

The ''reverse exodus'' of undocumented migrants, first witnessed during the voter roll Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in November last year, appears to have resurfaced after the state's newly installed BJP government initiated its ''detect, delete and deport'' drive.

At Hakimpur in North 24 Parganas' Basirhat subdivision, over 100 alleged Bangladeshi immigrants gathered near the BSF checkpoint over the last two days, carrying trolleys, utensils and bundles -- reminders of lives packed in haste and uncertainty.

Some had reportedly lived for years in places such as Dum Dum, New Town and Dankuni, working as masons, labourers and domestic help.

''If the government does not allow us to stay, what option do we have except returning?'' one man waiting near the checkpoint said.

The SIR exercise had also triggered panic among undocumented residents across parts of West Bengal. Back then, too, people with large sacks and bundles had lined Hakimpur, fearing that scrutiny would expose forged or borrowed papers.

The movement slowed after a couple of months. But now, the change of power appears to have restarted the momentum.

''This reverse exodus started in November last year. Early this year, the numbers had gone down, but over the last two days they have risen significantly. We are following necessary procedures and are in touch with our counterparts in Bangladesh,'' a senior BSF official said.

BSF personnel indicated that many arriving at Hakimpur were voluntarily approaching authorities seeking repatriation.

Simultaneously, the administration has begun setting up holding centres in districts to temporarily house suspected Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas pending verification and deportation proceedings.

Malda became the first district where such a facility became operational, housing nine suspected Bangladeshi nationals.

In West Bengal's politics, however, migration figures often carry meanings larger than administrative statistics.

The SIR exercise had triggered one of the sharpest political confrontations during the previous regime's final months.

The then opposition BJP argued that voter verification exposed deeper demographic concerns, while the TMC dismissed allegations of infiltration and accused the exercise of targeting vulnerable communities.

Former chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had personally joined protests against the SIR process and repeatedly questioned its intent.

The BJP's counter-argument then was political as much as administrative: a favourable environment, it claimed, had reassured illegal entrants and slowed voluntary departures.

''You won't have to search for them. They will leave on their own,'' BJP leaders had maintained during the campaign.