Varanasi Police have identified close to 500 individuals suspected to be Bangladeshi nationals as part of an extensive verification drive, a development being closely monitored in Assam where illegal immigration remains a sensitive political and administrative issue. Officials confirmed on December 10 that specialised teams will soon travel to Assam and West Bengal to verify documents submitted by those claiming to belong to these states.
Commissioner of Police Mohit Agarwal said the campaign is ongoing across densely populated slum areas and rural localities to identify potential Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators. He stated that around 500 suspicious individuals had already been marked, with their Aadhaar cards, voter IDs and other documents seized for detailed scrutiny. Several people asserting origins in Assam or West Bengal were unable to produce valid or readable documentation, prompting authorities to place them under surveillance. They have been given a week to provide genuine proof of citizenship, birth details and permanent address, failing which strict legal action will follow.
To authenticate these claims, police teams will travel to the respective districts in both states to coordinate with local administrations and cross-check the information submitted by those under examination. Intelligence agencies have also been tasked with determining whether any local groups or individuals assisted in sheltering or relocating the suspected illegal immigrants.
Agarwal reiterated that the crackdown will continue uninterrupted and that no illegal foreign national will be allowed to reside in Varanasi. The drive is part of a wider directive issued by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to identify and remove undocumented Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals living in the state.
For Assam, long at the heart of the national debate on cross-border migration, the move to dispatch verification teams highlights the growing inter-state coordination on citizenship checks and the expanding administrative reach of such nationwide scrutiny efforts.
