Avinash Azad
The Jammu and Kashmir administration is likely to deport an additional 150 Bangladeshi nationals today as part of an ongoing verification and deportation drive, according to official sources.
Under the operational protocol, the group will be transported from Srinagar Airport to Bagdogra Airport in West Bengal before being handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) for final deportation across the Bangladesh border, The Indian Express, reported.
According to The Indian Express, this follows an earlier phase on October 5, when a first batch of 150 individuals was flown out of Jammu and Kashmir aboard a special Indian Air Force aircraft.
Statewide enumeration efforts have identified roughly 600 Bangladeshi nationals allegedly residing in various parts of the Union Territory without valid documentation, the Mathrubhumi Reported. The deportation of the current batch of 150 individuals inlcusing 127 male ad 23 female, was slated for October 7 as part of a phased repatriation timeline.
Field investigations indicate that many of those identified were employed as daily-wage laborers and scrap dealers, primarily concentrated in Kashmir Valley localities such as Bemina and Lasjan, official sources said. They futher said, authorities are currently verifying government-issued identity documents found in their possession, including Aadhaar and PAN cards.
The current administrative crackdown stems from a targeted survey led by the Jammu and Kashmir Police to locate foreign nationals residing in the region without valid legal papers, the sources said. Initiated on October 5, the multi-phase deportation process is expected to continue until all verified cases are processed.
Data submitted by the government to the High-Level Committee on Demographic Change confirms that 7,656 Rohingyas and 504 Bangladeshi nationals have been formally cataloged across Jammu and Kashmir. Division-wise, the Jammu region accounts for 6,737 Rohingyas and 46 Bangladeshis, while the Kashmir Valley holds 919 Rohingyas and 458 Bangladeshis.
Authorities have noted that these tallies may rise as background verifications proceed, though separate reports claiming the total number of illegal foreign settlers could reach 13,700 remain officially unconfirmed.
The Central Government maintains that undocumented foreign nationals—including Rohingyas—are illegal immigrants subject to action under statutory immigration laws, citing national security imperatives, demographic imbalances, and sovereign duties.
From a constitutional standpoint, while fundamental rights to reside and settle in India under Article 19 are strictly reserved for Indian citizens, Articles 14 and 21 guarantee equality before the law and protection of life and personal liberty to all individuals regardless of nationality. Furthermore, the Supreme Court of India has established that deportation must adhere strictly to statutory due process rather than proceeding arbitrarily. Because India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and lacks a unified national refugee law, judicial oversight remains the primary mechanism governing administrative actions against undocumented foreign populations.
