IT News
Mumbai/Pune Feb 24
A drive by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) to flush out Bangladeshis residing illegally in Pune turned out to be a fiasco when some of those arrested produced proofs like voters’ Identity cards and PAN Cards.
The “raid” was conducted by MNS activists in Dhanakwadi area located on Pune- Satara Road, on 22 February and during the raid 3 suspected Bangladeshis were rounded up and handed over to police. However they produced the documents like PAN card in support of their claim that they were Indian citizens. Two of them had come from Panduva (West Bengal) and another was from Uttar Pradesh.
Later, those rounded up registered a complaint against MNS workers for “illegal action” against them at “Sahkar Nagar Police Station”. Police Inspector Nandkumar Bidwai, conformed the status of those “rounded up” by MNS activists. However MNS Pune president, Ajay Shinde claimed that those rounded up were having Bangladeshi passports and they might have obtained other basic documents by bribing Government staff.
Shinde said “This is the first phase of our operation – throw out illegal immigrants. Today, we caught three suspected illegal immigrants and we handed them to the Police. Few families escaped from the area where we carried out a search operation.”
When pointed out that it was illegal to barge into someone’s house without any concrete information, Shinde said he had enough “documentary evidence” that there were illegal immigrants. “We had been keeping an eye on the suspected illegal immigrants in Pune and adjoining industrial area. Our Information is that there is a large number of Bangladeshi workers who have been living illegally,” he said.
The Pune city police too accompanied the MNS workers during their action against illegal immigrants. DCP Shirish Sardeshpande of Zone II confirmed the MNS’s self-proclaimed NRC action and said it was illegal and they should not indulge in breaking the law. Yes, MNS can help police in identifying the suspected illegal immigrants but the party should let the police do its job.” The DCP also confirmed that three suspected illegal immigrants were interrogated and their documents were checked but police did not find any documents to prove that they were illegal immigrants.
In similar way on 13 February, MNS activist had combed the hutments located at Chikuwadi at Borivali East in North Mumbai and had rounded up the Bangladeshis. But some of them were found to be carrying basic documents like PAN card. They were working on construction site. However since they were not registered anywhere as labourers, the contractor, under whom they were working was detained for interrogation by police. As per the announcement, to drive away illegal immigrants, made by MNS Chief Raj Thackeray during party’s convention held in Mumbai on 23 January, MNS activists have been conducting “raids” on illegal immigrants in different parts of Maharashtra for the last few days.
In the meanwhile official action against illegal immigrants is on in the state. On 12 February, the police arrested two Bangladeshis from Malad in North Mumbai and two Bangladeshis from Mira Road, a township on the fringes of Mumbai (in Palghar district). The accused were staying based on bogus documents procured illegally.
On the same day, the Maharashtra Anti-terrorism cell and anti-human trafficking unit arrested 23 Bangladeshi nationals, living illegally in Rajodi Village in Arnala in Virar (in Palghar district). The case was registered under Indian Passport Act, 1920, and the Foreign Nationals Act, 1946, against the accused. The arrested people didn’t have any valid documents in their possession,” the official said, adding that they were doing petty jobs in the district.
