West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday announced the implementation of a mechanism under which infiltrators detained by state police would be handed over directly to the BSF for deportation, while unveiling what he described as part of a broader "detect, delete and deport" framework.
The announcement, made at a press conference attended by senior BSF officials shortly after Adhikari returned from north Bengal, signalled a sharper policy turn on infiltration and border management -- long among the BJP's most potent political themes in Bengal, at the centre of the new government's agenda.
Adhikari said those communities covered under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) would remain outside the ambit of the new mechanism, while others identified as infiltrators would face action with immediate effect.
"A letter was sent by the Centre to the state on May 14 last year regarding the direct handover of infiltrators to the BSF, but the previous government failed to implement this important provision. We have now enforced it," the chief minister said at the state secretariat Nabanna.
He alleged that the previous Trinamool Congress government had opposed the CAA and also failed to operationalise the mechanism proposed by the Centre.
"On one hand, the previous government opposed the CAA, and on the other, it did not use this important provision. Today we are implementing it," Adhikari said.
Seeking to draw a distinction between refugee protection and illegal immigration, the chief minister referred to provisions under the CAA.
"Under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the communities covered by it have been named, and those who came (to India) till December 31, 2024, are protected, and police cannot detain them," he said.
The communities covered under the citizenship law include Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who fled alleged religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan before the prescribed cut-off date.
The chief minister said those not covered under the law would be treated as infiltrators.
"Those who are not covered under the Act are completely illegal infiltrators. State police will detain them and hand them over to the BSF," Adhikari said.
"The BSF will speak to the BGB and take necessary steps to deport them. This law is being implemented starting today," he said.
Adhikari described the framework as "detect, delete and deport", while explaining the mechanism.
The chief minister said instructions had already been communicated to the state's top administrative and police officials.
"We have informed the DGP and the home secretary that this law will be implemented in all police stations in border areas for the sake of West Bengal and the country's security," he said.
Officials said the mechanism would be implemented across police stations located in border districts, with coordination between state police and the BSF expected to form the backbone of the process.
For the BJP government in Bengal, the announcement appeared to be more than an administrative directive. Border management and infiltration have long occupied a central place in the party's Bengal politics. On Wednesday, those themes moved from campaign rhetoric to policy execution.
