JOIN US JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy has said that as many as 40,000 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh had taken up residence in Karnataka in the last few years.
He has appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the officials concerned to take action against such immigrants and deport them.
In a letter dispatched on April 18 to Siddaramaiah, Home K J George and Inspector General of Police, P Om Prakash, Kumaraswamy has stated that several illegal Bangladeshi immigrants had taken up residence in almost the entire State, including in Periyapatna, Hunsur and Chamarajanagar.
“In Bengaluru, the immigrants are residing in camps at Bellandur (behind the lake), Iblur, Devarabeesanahalli, Somasundarapalya, Mullekolalu and other areas. The sad part is, despite being aware of their presence, the Bengaluru police have failed to take act against them,” Kumaraswamy has stated in his letter.
Kumaraswamy has claimed that most of these immigrants possessed voters ID and ration cards and were enjoying the benefits doled by the government. “Scores of illiterate and poorer immigrants are indulging in illegal activities ranging from peddling narcotics to printing fake notes and prostitution. Eight per cent of the women involved in prostitution rackets are illegal immigrants,” he claimed.
He said 80 per cent of the illegal Bangladesh immigrants in the country were residing in Karnataka.