SIR Drive Triggers Mass Return of Undocumented Migrants to Bangladesh

Hakimpur, West Bengal: Following the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive, hundreds of people have gathered at the Hakimpur checkpost in Basirhat, awaiting their return to Bangladesh. According to a News18 report, one among them—a woman who identifies herself as Rukhiya Begum—claims to possess both an Indian voter ID and an Aadhaar card despite being a Bangladeshi national.

Rukhiya stated that she arrived in India six years ago and had been residing in Salt Lake. She also claimed that she had exercised her franchise in past elections. However, she said she was choosing to return because her name was missing from the 2002 voter list. She further asserted that she had been receiving government welfare benefits during her stay.

Another woman, Anwara Begum from Satkhira, told reporters that she had been living near Dunlop in North 24 Parganas for the last three years without any valid documents. She, too, decided to return to Bangladesh after the SIR proceedings began.

For the past four days, large crowds have been assembling at the border checkpost, with many openly acknowledging that they had entered India illegally. The ongoing SIR verification process has triggered fear and uncertainty among undocumented migrants, prompting the sudden surge of people attempting to return across the border.

The revelations that several such individuals managed to obtain Indian voter IDs and Aadhaar cards have intensified questions about systemic lapses and the mechanisms through which official documents are being issued to undocumented migrants.