BELAGAVI: Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Thursday said that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are a menace, and a special task force has been created to identify and deport illegal Bangladeshis.
Replying to a question by BJP member Arun, he said thousands of illegal immigrants arrive in India and move to various parts of the country.
“Despite our defence personnel’s efforts to prevent them, they enter India. We have constituted a special task force to identify them. Thousands are deported every year. As of now, 159 Bangladeshi nationals and 24 Pakistanis who were residing illegally have been arrested,” he said. He said 115 people, all from Bangladesh, are residing illegally with fake documents.
BJP’s Arun questioned how many such illegal immigrants are residing in India, and said that the arrest of six individuals in Chitradurga has revealed that Karnataka has become a paradise for immigrants working in homestays and resorts.
“They turn to drug peddling and other illegal activities,” he said. “It has been six years and no illegal immigrant has been externed.” He said there are many contractors who supply labour, and bring them to work on coffee estates and other places.
Dr Parameshwara said the special force has been created to identify and deport Bangladeshi nationals. He said he is also speaking to the planters’ association to identify such immigrants. Not just Bangladeshi immigrants, a few Africans who come to study have also gone missing, he added.