Deputy CM Shinde orders action against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants living in Maharashtra

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday said he had directed authorities to identify the Bangladeshis living illegally in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra, and deport them. Shinde issued the direction at the Mumbai District Planning and Development Committee (DPDC) meeting a day after newly elected BJP mayor of the metropolis said deporting illegal Bangladeshi immigrants encroaching on city roads would be her among her priorities. Shinde, who is the guardian minister of Mumbai district, said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had taken the issue seriously. ''Bangladeshis who have infiltrated and who are staying illegally should be indentified. District collectorate and police have been asked to identify them. If they have been issued Aadhaar cards or other documents, they should be cancelled,'' he told reporters The issue was raised by Shiv Sena leader and Member of Maharashtra Legislative Council Manisha Kayande at the DPDC meet chaired by the deputy CM. ''Aadhaar cards and other documents of Bangladeshis staying illegally in the country must be cancelled,'' she said, asking how could such persons take benefit of government schemes. Local Congress MLA Amin Patel told reporters that he cited the government data at the meeting to state that 1,060 Bangladeshi nationals were deported in 2025, and asserted that hawkers should not be harassed under the pretext of action against illegal immigrants. ''We believe that every illegal immigrant living in Mumbai or Maharashtra should be sent back to their respective country. But in the name of action against illegal immigration, the civic authorities should not harass hawkers,'' Patel told reporters. Kayande should question her own party's government over the issue, he said. Upon her election as Mumbai mayor on Wednesday, BJP leader Ritu Tawde had said Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya had encroached on the city's footpaths, and clearing these encroachments would be among her priorities.