No future in Bangladesh: Illegal migrants flock border as Bengal begins crackdown

Fear and uncertainty are unfolding at the Hakimpur border in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, where dozens of undocumented Bangladeshi migrants have gathered over the past two days seeking to return to Bangladesh. This comes amid growing pressure from authorities and the setting up of holding centres for illegal migrants across the state.

Carrying bags, blankets and identity documents, families who had spent years living in India now wait near the border, to cross back into their country.

At the Hakimpur border outpost, police have set up a registration desk where details of those arriving are being recorded. Officials are verifying Bangladeshi documents and preparing a database before migrants are shifted to holding centres.

According to officials on the ground, records of more than 350 Bangladeshis have already been prepared since Monday.

Around 50 to 60 people were present at the border on Wednesday, many of them from Kolkata’s New Town, Hatiyara, Khardah, Dum Dum and Dankuni areas. Most admitted they had entered India illegally through agents or middlemen over the years in search of work.

"We are poor people. That is why we came here," said Salam Dali, a carpenter who said he entered India from Khulna district in Bangladesh around five years ago after paying Rs 8,000-10,000 to a middleman.

"The government told us to leave because we do not have documents. So now we are leaving," he said while waiting near the border with his wife and child.

Several migrants said the atmosphere had changed sharply in recent months, with police visits, document checks and fear of detention forcing them to leave.

Hidoy Mulla, a young man born in 2003 who claimed he grew up in Madhyamgram after his parents migrated from Bangladesh in 2001, said local police had repeatedly demanded proof of residence prior to 2002.

"I was born in 2003. My parents are completely uneducated. They don’t even know ABCD. How were they supposed to make documents?" he said.

Mulla said he possessed Aadhaar, PAN, ration card and school certificates, but his voter ID applications were rejected multiple times.

"I grew up here. This culture is part of me. My parents feel they are returning to their country, but for us it feels like we are leaving our country and going to another country,' he said.

"What mistake did we make? The mistake was of our parents. They brought us here."

He added that the family no longer had land or relatives to depend on in Bangladesh.

"What will I do there? There is no friend circle, no future for me there," he said.

Among those gathered near the border was a visually impaired family from Khardah -- Mohammad Shamsur Rahaman, his wife Asiya Khatun and his brother Bilal -- all of whom are blind and survived by begging on trains and streets in Kolkata.

"We are requesting the authorities to send us back immediately," Rahaman said.

The family claimed they had lived in India for over a decade and had obtained Aadhaar and other documents while staying in the Khardah area.

Another migrant, Mohammad Ali Munshi, who claimed he was born in India after his father crossed the border decades ago, said fear and pressure had forced the family to leave.

"I only had Aadhaar and ration card. I left everything behind because none of it is useful now."

One of the most striking stories came from Mafuza Khatun, originally from Bangladesh’s Khulna district, who said she had lived in India for years and voted in elections multiple times.

She claimed she had Aadhaar and voter ID cards prepared through local political and municipal channels.

"We voted here for years. Now our voter IDs have been cancelled," she said.

"For the government, we are people from another country, so now we have to go back to Bangladesh."

Many women at the border said they worked as domestic helpers, rag-pickers and labourers in Kolkata’s outskirts before being forced to leave rented accommodations.

Several migrants admitted they had crossed the border illegally through agents operating on both sides. Some said they were brought into India as children and had little memory of Bangladesh.

Authorities have shifted many of those arriving at Hakimpur to temporary holding centres set up across North 24 Parganas district. The largest centre has been established at Tentulia inside the Pather Saathi building, where officials said 116 Bangladeshis are currently being housed.

Health department teams, cooks and police personnel have been deployed at the facility to manage food, medical care and security.

Officials said more holding centres were being prepared in the district and those gathered at Hakimpur would eventually be "pushed back" to Bangladesh.

However, the pushback process, which was active till Tuesday night, has reportedly been halted for now. Local sources suspect Bangladesh authorities may have temporarily stopped accepting undocumented migrants from India.

The Border Security Force (BSF) has not officially commented on the development despite repeated attempts to seek clarification.