Author: Pramod Kumar Singh/ New
Delhi
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: May 8, 2003
Delhi Police have decided to step
up a campaign to identify illegal Bangladeshi migrants living in the National
Capital. In a meeting held in the GOS Mess on Saturday, the Commissioner
of Police (CP), RS Gupta asked his field officers to launch targeted action
against Bangladeshis. The CP asked his officers to ensure that the sustained
action against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants is continued along with action
against kabaris (junk dealers).
Bangladeshis not only reside in
several slums and JJ clusters on the Yamuna Pushta but indulge in all types
of crimes. In the recent past Delhi Police had neutralised several armed
gangs of Bangladeshis. Their subsequent interrogation revealed that they
have been living in Delhi and have committed many dacoities and robberies.
A district police chief said, the
CP's brief was to identify Bangladeshi migrants and hand them over to the
Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)'s office for their deportation.
Since they have been found to be involved in heinous cases in Delhi, their
eviction from the National Capital Territory of Delhi has been deemed necessary,
the officer added.
It has been found that Bangladeshis
move around posh colonies in the garb of kabaris. They have managed to
assimilate themselves in various slums and ghettos, and pose a great threat
to national security. Delhi has been feeling the heat since the Bangladeshis
started to arrive. According to an intelligence assessment, there are more
than 18 lakh illegal Bangladeshi migrants who are settled in various areas
of the National Capital.
There is a provision in Delhi Police
to keep a tab on the population of the Bangladeshi nationals. Every month
the Assistant Commissioner of Police(ACP) level officers posted in Sub-Divisions
are supposed to file a report regarding the illegally living Bangladeshis
in their areas. They too have been asked to activate the beat staff for
intensifying the action, a senior Delhi Police officer said.
Local police have been encountering
difficulty after the crack down on illegal migrants began in June, 2002.
Fearing a crackdown Bangladeshis have started leaving slums and now prefer
to live in less risky colonies to avoid detection.
According to the figure available
with Delhi Police, in the year 2002, around 3000 Bangladeshis were rounded
up and deported to their country. In the current year 1300 such migrants
have been deported. A district police officer said, the main problem in
weeding them out has been their identification. They are so well ensconced
and have successfully altered their characteristics that it is really tough
to identify them. The magnitude of the unabated influx of the Bangladeshis
in Delhi in particular, could be judged from the fact that over the years
their infiltration has assumed alarming proportions. Sanjay Amar Colony
and Yamuna Pushta in North district, Jaffarabad, Seelampur, Nand Nagari
and Seemapuri in North East district, Trilokpuri and Kalyanpuri in East
district, Sultanpuri and Jahangirpuri in North West district and Okhla
area are the worst affected.
Delhi Police has been treading very
cautiously ever since an angry mob of Bangladeshis torched the Yamuna Pushta
police post in the North district, three years ago.
