UP steps up hunt for illegal Rohingya, Bangladeshi immigrants; 300 flagged in Varanasi zone for verification

In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Uttar Pradesh government has intensified a statewide crackdown to identify suspected Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators, with around 300 individuals flagged in the Varanasi zone alone and their details sent to West Bengal for parental root verification.

According to ADG Varanasi Zone Piyush Mordia, under the fresh exercise — a part of a statewide drive — all clusters where suspected infiltrators could be present are on the radar of authorities. Details of all such elements with doubtful credentials, thriving in different clusters across various districts of the Varanasi zone, are being collected for thorough verification.

Under the latest exercise in Varanasi district, only the local intelligence unit (LIU) personnel have sent the files of around 300 individuals to West Bengal officials for credential verification.

According to informed sources, combing operations have been intensified in city localities and rural areas where clusters of people with doubtful credentials have mushroomed in recent months. This action follows fresh instructions from Police Commissioner Mohit Agrawal.

On April 29, the Varanasi Police Commissioner directed authorities to increase vigilance at railway stations, bus stands, temples, ghats, and other public places due to the possible presence of Rohingyas or Bangladeshis disguised as vendors and beggars.

He urged West Bengal authorities to verify the credentials of people, as a majority had claimed origin in various districts of West Bengal. Based on verification results, action will be initiated against those found to be living illegally.

People living by roadsides, railway tracks, village outskirts, parks, and open fields should be verified, identified, and removed according to regulations. The Police Commissioner also appealed to house owners to rent out property only after proper tenant verification.

Before the current drive was intensified, the LIU had already compiled files of over 300 individuals.

This is the third major exercise to identify illegal immigrants in the past 25 years. In 2003, a large-scale drive was launched in Varanasi and surrounding districts, including Chandauli, Ghazipur, and Jaunpur, when around 16,500 persons with doubtful credentials were detected.

Most of them had ID proof issued from districts like Murshidabad and Birbhum of West Bengal. Intelligence agencies attempted to verify their parental roots, but when there was no response from counterparts in states bordering Bangladesh, the drive was eventually stalled.