150 Bangladeshi immigrants flown out of J&K on IAF aircraft for deportation - The Indian Express

As many as 150 Bangladeshi nationals who were allegedly living illegally in Jammu and Kashmir were airlifted on Monday to West Bengal’s Bagdogra, from where they will be deported. The 150 are among 500 people who were detained from different parts of the Union Territory during a survey to identify illegal immigrants and kept in a facility manned by the police.

From Bagdogra, the 150 will be deported to Bangladesh, officials said.

This comes two months after a high-level committee on demographic changes, set up by the Union Home Ministry in May this year, visited Jammu and Kashmir for its first field visit.

Police sources said that the batch of 150 immigrants was sent in an Indian Air Force aircraft. They would be handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) and deported on October 7, sources said.

J&K police have conducted a special exercise over the last few days to identify “illegal immigrants” in the Union Territory, sources said, adding that around 500 people – mostly from Bangladesh – were detained and shifted to the facility on the outskirts of Srinagar city.

“Most of these people have been settled in different parts of the Kashmir Valley for many years now,” said a police officer. “They were mostly doing menial jobs like ragpicking, etc.”

Sources said some of those detained are Rohingya from Myanmar. Others will also be sent out in batches in the coming days and deported, sources said.

The high-level committee, during its visit to Jammu and Kashmir, was informed that there are 7,656 Rohingya and 504 Bangladeshi nationals in Jammu and Kashmir – 6,737 Rohingya and 46 Bangladeshi immigrants in Jammu, and the rest in Kashmir. The committee was also informed that 117 cases are registered against them – 101 in Jammu and 16 in Kashmir.

The committee’s mandate is to study demographic changes arising from illegal immigration and other factors and to recommend measures to address them. It has been asked to submit its report within one year.

It had sought details from states and Union Territories regarding “visible changes” in religious demography across districts, industrial clusters and border districts over the last 15 years.

In a letter dispatched to states and UTs over the last two months, the Committee sought “time-series data” indicating changes over the years, alongside other administrative datasets, an assessment by state governments of “major trends” in demographics, and data on the religious composition of tribal populations since 2011. —With PTI

Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. Expertise and Experience Two Decades of Frontline Reporting: Bashaarat has spent 20 years documenting the evolution of Kashmir, from high-intensity conflict and political shifts to socio-economic development. Award-Winning Investigative Journalism: He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award (2012). This honor was bestowed for his reporting on the Pathribal fake encounter, a series of stories that highlighted his ability to handle sensitive human rights and security issues with investigative rigor. Specialized Beats: His authoritative coverage spans: Political Transitions: Tracking the shift from statehood to Union Territory, electoral dynamics, and the pulse of local governance. Security & Conflict: Providing nuanced reporting on counter-insurgency, civil liberties, and the impact of the conflict on the civilian population. Development: Documenting the infrastructure, healthcare, and educational landscape within the Valley. Academic Background: He holds a Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir, providing him with a localized academic and professional foundation that is rare in regional reporting. ... Read More