Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated on Friday that India will take legal action against Bangladeshis and other foreign citizens living in India illegally. In response to enquiries on Dhaka's recent accusations, he made the statement during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi.
A local journalist enquired about the Indian government's position on Dhaka's allegations that the Border Security Force (BSF) was purposefully forcing people into Bangladesh during the briefing. In response, Jaiswal said that India has laws in place to deal with the problem and will take appropriate action if any foreign resident is discovered to be living there illegally.
“We have laws to deal with all foreign nationals in India, if they are here illegally, including from Bangladesh,” he said. The spokesperson further added that a bilateral mechanism is in place for the repatriation of such individuals. “We refer these cases to the Bangladeshi side for them to verify the nationality of these people, and once it is verified, then we take forward the deportation process,” he said.
Jaiswal claimed that a large number of such verification requests are currently pending with Bangladesh.
“We have many of these requests which are still pending with the Bangladeshi side, and we hope and expect that they’ll be expedited as soon as possible so that the deportation of people who are illegally staying in India can be taken forward in a smooth and efficient manner,” Jaiswal added.
The statement came amid reports of a standoff at the Chapainawabganj border, where the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) reportedly foiled a ‘push-in’ attempt by the BSF, leaving 28 people stranded in no-man’s land.
