- Maharashtra will cancel fake birth certificates issued to illegal Bangladeshi nationals by August 15
- Around 42,000 cases of fake birth certificates have been identified in the state so far
- Copies of cancelled birth certificates must be sent to the Revenue and Health departments
The Maharashtra government will cancel the fake birth certificates issued to Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in the state by August 15, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Wednesday.
As many as 42,000 such cases have been found but the actual number is greater, and it will be ascertained by the officials, he told reporters here.
"By August 15, fake birth certificates given to Bangladeshis will be cancelled," the BJP leader said, adding that the copies of such certificates will have to be sent to the Department of Revenue and the Department of Health.
Earlier, BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya had alleged that 3,997 birth certificates had been issued to Bangladeshis on the basis of forged documents, leading to the state government suspending two officials previously posted in Malegaon in Nashik district.
On Tuesday, Bawankule held a meeting with the state chief secretary, which was attended by district collectors via video conference. Somaiya too attended the meeting, sources said.
Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam had stated in March that in the last four years, the government has been cracking down on illegal Bangladeshi residents as never before.
In 2021, 109 Bangladeshis residing illegally in the state were deported, followed by 77 in 2022 and 127 in 2023. In 2024, as many as 716 illegal Bangladeshi residents were arrested and 202 deported, he stated.
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