Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has commanded all district administrations across the state to initiate a swift and strict campaign to identify and take action against illegal immigrants residing within their jurisdictions. The Chief Minister stressed the paramount importance of law and order, social peace, and national security, unequivocally declaring that “no illegal activity will be allowed” or tolerated within the state’s borders.
According to statements released through news agency PTI, the Chief Minister’s directive mandates that “each district administration ensure the identification of illegal immigrants living in their area and initiate action as per the rules.” To manage the logistics of this operation, he has further instructed that “temporary detention centres be established in each district” to house the identified infiltrators.
These new facilities will be used to hold illegal immigrants, particularly those with foreign citizenship, until their verification process is fully complete. Following standard operating procedures, those individuals who are confirmed to be illegal residents will be systematically deported to their countries of origin. The state shares a crucial and open border with Nepal, which currently allows citizens of both countries to travel freely, while individuals of other nationalities must adhere to security protocols.
Significantly, this major administrative directive has been issued precisely as the state is engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Uttar Pradesh is one of 12 states and union territories participating in this nationwide exercise, which is being conducted in preparation for the final electoral roll publication scheduled for February 7, 2026.
The SIR process itself began with the initial printing and training phases running from October 28 to November 3. The intensive enumeration and physical verification phase is currently underway, having commenced on November 4 and scheduled to conclude on December 4, 2025. This will be followed by the release of the draft rolls on December 9, opening a window for claims and objections until January 8, 2026. The final verification, or ‘Notice Phase,’ is set to run from December 9 until January 31, 2026.
The timing of the Chief Minister’s instruction has drawn criticism from opposition parties, who have publicly alleged that the SIR process is being used to unfairly target and remove the names of genuine voters, particularly those belonging to underprivileged or minority communities, from the electoral lists. The Yogi government maintains that the immigrant identification drive is purely a matter of national security and adherence to existing law.
