New Delhi: The centre has maintained that the rate of conviction of ‘charge-sheeted’ Bangladeshi infiltrators is significantly low and maintained that the West Bengal government should take strict legal action against infiltration.
Stating this in a written reply in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said while between 2016 and 2019, the Border Security Force has lodged complaints against 2548 illegal infiltrators in West Bengal; the state government has lodged FIR against only 2104 infiltrators.
The West Bengal government has filed the charge sheet against 1,134 infiltrators, and out of them, only 212 have been convicted.
Of course, in the fast-approaching assembly elections in Assam and West Bengal, the illegal infiltration from Bangladesh is one of the major poll issues.
MoS Home asked the West Bengal government to take necessary and strict legal action against infiltrators.
He also informed the Rajya Sabha that the number of cross-border infiltration cases reported along the India-Bangladesh Border has reduced between 2016 and 2020.
In reply to the question raised by Trinamool member Manas Ranjan Bhunia, Rai said the BSF has apprehended around 4500 infiltrators in last four years from 2016 to 2019 Indo Bangladesh border and handed them to the state government
But the state government has failed to take action against illegal infiltrators,” Rai said. He also said the BSF has named 4189 as accused in connection with illegally trespassing the border but unfortunately the state government arrested only 4072.
Needless to add, the Mamata Banerjee-led dispensation is accused of being soft towards illegal Muslim illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
In 2016, there were 624 cases of cross border infiltration only and the persons apprehended were 1601. In 2017 the number of cases recorded was reduced to 456 and the persons apprehended the same year was 9071. In 2018, 420 cases were recorded and 884 persons were apprehended.
In 2019, a total of 500 cases were reported, involving 1109 persons. On the other hand, only 489 cases were reported and 955 persons were apprehended in 2020.
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