Arunachal preps for crackdown on illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, to set up task forces in districts

Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh government has launched a statewide crackdown to detect and deport illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, an official said on Thursday.

Acting on directives issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the state has instructed all districts to immediately constitute district task forces (DTFs) to identify undocumented immigrants and ensure strict enforcement of Inner Line Permit (ILP) provisions.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by advisor to home minister Mutchu Mithi and DGP Anand Mohan on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by senior police officers, including inspector generals and superintendents of police.

"Statewide crackdown on illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and ILP violations. A district task force will be immediately constituted in every district to carry out detection of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and ensure strict enforcement of the Inner Line Permit regime," Mithi said.

The MHA had last month issued a 30-day deadline for all states and Union Territories to verify the identity and documentation of individuals suspected to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. Those failing to produce valid documents would be liable for deportation, officials said.

It also instructed states to invoke their statutory powers to detect, detain and deport illegal immigrants.

Similar instructions were issued to the Border Security Force (BSF) and Assam Rifles, which guard India's borders with the two countries.