The Odisha Police have stepped up sea-route vigil along the coastal districts to check the possible influx of illegal immigrants from turmoil-torn Bangladesh in the wake of continuing violence and bloodshed in the neighbouring country with its Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country.
All the coastal districts, mainly Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur, are vulnerable to infiltration. A majority of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are staying in these areas and facing deportation notices. In view of the complete breakdown of the law and order situation and reported atrocities on minorities, the infiltration from across the troubled border looms large. Therefore, marine police wings in coastal districts have been put on high alert, said a senior official of the state police.
The Marine Police, in coordination with the Coast Guard, are in a state of alert since Monday amid continuing political instability in Bangladesh, the official confided.
It’s pertinent to note that 3,987 infiltrators, all from Bangladesh, continue to stay unlawfully in Odisha. The highest number of 1,649 Bangladeshi infiltrators has been staying in coastal Kendrapara district, followed by 1,112 in Paradip and Jagatsinghpur. Of the 3,987 infiltrators, 1,551 foreign nationals living in Kendrapara district had been served Quit India deportation notice in 2005. However, the deportation move was put on hold following intervention by the then Union government.
The Union government’s records indicate that Odisha is home to 3,987 Bangladeshi infiltrators. However, several lakh Bengali-speaking migrants are firmly ensconced in several parts of the state.