Kolkata, May 24 -- The West Bengal government has directed all districts to set up "holding centres" to detain suspected Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya immigrants for up to 30 days pending verification of their citizenship and deportation status.

The order, issued by Nabanna, follows recent announcements by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari that the state would strictly enforce the Centre's guidelines on illegal immigration.

According to the state government's directive, the centres will house not only newly detained suspected infiltrators but also foreign nationals released from prisons whose deportation process is underway. Instructions have been sent to the Director General of Police, district magistrates, superintendents of police and all police commissioners, including Kolkata.

The move comes in line with an eight-page advisory issued on May 2, 2025, by the Foreigners Division of the Union Home Ministry regarding Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants. The advisory permits law enforcement agencies to detain individuals suspected of not being Indian citizens and keep them in holding centres for up to 30 days while their documents are verified. The final determination of citizenship status will be made by the district magistrate or an officer of equivalent rank.

The state government said those identified as illegal immigrants would have their biometric data collected and uploaded to a central portal before being handed over to the Border Security Force for deportation. Such individuals would also be blacklisted from re-entering India.

The BJP-led state government has adopted what it describes as a "detect, delete and deport" policy against illegal immigration. The Centre has also instructed states to form district-level special task forces to identify and process suspected undocumented migrants. Officials said, in emergency situations, deportation could be carried out directly from the holding centres after verification procedures are completed.

Recently, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had said: "By building strong coordination with the BSF, we will secure both the state and the nation. The previous government (Trinamool Congress) opposed providing protection under the CAA to refugees and failed to implement this crucial law."

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.