Hundreds of undocumented Bangladeshi nationals have gathered at the Hakimpur border check-post in North 24 Parganas, hoping to return home after the launch of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in West Bengal sparked panic among those staying illegally in India.
Nearly 300 people, including women, children and the elderly, have assembled with their belongings, abandoning the covert routes they once used and instead approaching the Border Security Force (BSF) directly in an attempt to cross into Bangladesh legally. Many admitted they had entered India years ago through gaps in barbed wire fencing with the help of brokers.
Images show families carrying suitcases, blankets, trolleys and hastily packed bags, essentially everything they accumulated during their stay in India.
The BSF has made its stance clear: no one will be allowed to enter Bangladesh without valid documentation. This has left the group stranded at the gate, unable to proceed or return to their previous residences.
Jawans of the BSF’s 143rd Battalion are on heightened alert. An officer said, “No infiltrator will be allowed to enter Bangladesh illegally. If anyone attempts it, necessary action will be taken.”
Also read: 31 Bangladeshi fishermen detained for illegal entry into India
According to BSF data, more than 300 undocumented individuals have been detained this month, including 45 caught attempting to cross through the Bithari and Tarali stretches over the last three days.
Many of those now at Hakimpur openly acknowledged their undocumented presence. Sabina Parveen, from Satkhira district, said, “I came here for livelihood. I have no documents. Now I want to return home.”
Mohammad Ashraf, from Kushumandi village, said, “I lived in Birati and worked as a daily wage earner. I came out of compulsion. Now I want to go back to my village, but I have no papers.”
Local residents said most of those waiting are from Satkhira, Khulna and nearby districts, and have worked in West Bengal as labourers, masons, brick kiln workers or in small factories. Some had been in India for two years, others for more than a decade, all without papers.
With the SIR process under way, fear and rumour have driven a sudden reverse migration to the border. Families with infants, elderly men with walking sticks and women carrying multiple bags have been waiting for hours, in some cases days. Many are staying in makeshift sheds or open fields without access to basic facilities.
The SIR has sparked an unforeseen humanitarian situation along the India-Bangladesh border, with hundreds stranded at Hakimpur and more arriving through the night, uncertain about what lies ahead.
Follow us
