Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that 4,800 illegal infiltrators from Bangladesh, who are not protected under the CAA, have been deported over the past month. Additionally, 836 identified individuals are currently being held in the newly established border district holding centres awaiting deportation.
The government has also handed over approximately 100 km of land to the BSF to strengthen border fencing, particularly around the critical 'Chicken Neck' corridor.
This policy has attracted international scrutiny regarding its socio-political implications. Media outlets like France24 report that the directives to establish these holding centres have sparked fear among minority communities of potential arbitrary expulsions, drawing parallels to previous large-scale identification drives in Assam.
Following a government order on May 23, 2026, the state's first holding centre for suspected illegal immigrants and released foreign prisoners was opened in Murshidabad's Bahadurpur, with three suspected illegal Bangladeshi nationals already detained there. Work has also commenced to set up another facility in Malda's English Bazar town.
The centers are operated by district police and civic volunteers under MHA guidelines while legal status verification and deportation enquiries are conducted.
The West Bengal government issued directives to the state police DGP, district DMs, SPs, and police commissioners to establish holding centres in every district to detain suspected illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants. Under these guidelines, suspects can be detained for up to 30 days while their legal status and biometric data are verified.
Identified illegal immigrants and foreign nationals released from state prisons will be held at these centres before being handed over to the BSF for deportation.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari issued administrative directives to the Howrah police and the RPF to bypass judicial courts and send detected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants not covered by the CAA directly to BSF outposts for deportation.
A weekly report of all individuals handed over to the BSF must be submitted to the CMO via the DGP. The status of this commitment remains in progress as enforcement structures are active.
Senior state police officials expressed concern that bypassing judicial courts to hand individuals directly to the BSF may conflict with Section 14(A) of the Foreigners Act, 1946, which requires suspected illegal immigrants to be produced before a court to verify their legal status.
The Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that powers of the Central Government to detect, restrict movement, and deport illegal foreign nationals under Section 7(2), Section 13, and Section 29 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, have been entrusted to State Governments and Union Territories vide Notification No. S.O.3998(E) dated September 1, 2025, with local police authorities executing these actions on a regular basis.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced the immediate rollout of the 'Detect, Delete, and Deport' model to address illegal immigration. Directives have been issued to the state police to identify and detain illegal infiltrators, who will then be handed over directly to the Border Security Force (BSF) for deportation proceedings.
The policy explicitly exempts refugees from the seven communities protected under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) who entered India on or before December 31, 2024.
⚖️ Public Accountability & Permanent Record: This page serves as a long-term historical record. Even after a promise is marked as "Fulfilled," we will continue to post new updates here to track any policy reversals or the long-term efficacy of the scheme on the ground. Any future lapses in implementation will be documented here.