J&K sends first batch of 150 ‘illegal immigrants’ for deportation

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has sent around 150 people, described as “illegal immigrants”, to Bagdogra airport in West Bengal for deportation, officials said.

The group was among around 500 people detained from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir during a police exercise to identify people suspected of being illegal immigrants. Police sources said the first batch was transported to Bagdogra in an Indian Air Force aircraft and would be handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) for deportation to Bangladesh on October 7.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted the special exercise over the past few days and shifted the detainees to a facility on the outskirts of Srinagar. Most of those detained are believed to be from Bangladesh, while some are Rohingya from Myanmar.

“Most of these people were settled in different parts of Kashmir Valley for many years now,” a police officer said. “They were mostly doing menial jobs like rag picking, etc.”

Police said the remaining detainees would be sent in batches in the coming days for deportation.

The action comes two months after a high-level committee on demographic changes visited Jammu and Kashmir for its first field visit. The Union Home Ministry had set up the committee in May this year.

During its visit, the committee was informed that Jammu and Kashmir has 7,656 Rohingya and 504 Bangladeshi nationals. Of these, 6,737 Rohingya and 46 Bangladeshi immigrants were reported in Jammu, while the Valley had 919 Rohingya and 458 Bangladeshi nationals.

The committee was also informed that 117 cases had been registered against them, including 101 in Jammu and 16 in Kashmir.