The queue of Bangladeshis seeking to return to their homeland has been steadily growing at the Bithari-Hakimpur border checkpost in North 24 Parganas, with dozens more joining the line even on Wednesday. The rush has become so intense that three holding centres have been set up in Swarupnagar's Tetulia, Charghat, and Media, according to sources. Many individuals have been moved to these centres for detailed verification of their papers and background checks.
Stories of those affected
Sitting at the border with his family and luggage, a dejected Bachchu Munshi explained that the Special Identity Register (SIR) process ended his stay in India. He had come from Khulna with his parents at the age of 10. Now middle-aged, Munshi lives with his family in Michael Nagar near Madhyamgram. He said, "I have lived in India most of my life. I came as a child, and now my two daughters and son are married. In 2014, my family and I received Aadhaar cards. Later, we obtained ration cards, PAN cards, and EPICs. I cast my vote for the first time in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But since we did not have documents dating back to 2002, our names were deleted in the SIR. Realising that we would no longer be able to stay in India, we decided to return to Bangladesh."
Others in similar situations
An elderly man, who crossed over from Jessore merely four years ago, said he had paid Rs 7,000 to an agent to come to India. Living in rented accommodation in Durganagar, he had been working as a labourer. However, with the state government's "detect-delete-deport" policy in force, he believes returning is the only option left to him. Shamima Khatun from Satkhira had entered India eight years ago with her husband and son through the Ghojadanga border. She stated, "We have Aadhaar cards, voter cards, and all other documents. I even used to receive Lakshmir Bhandar benefits regularly every month. We crossed the border between the two countries several times. But our names have now been removed from the voter list during SIR. We do not want to take the risk of staying here any more."
