Home Ministry instructs Maharashtra govt to act on illegal Bangladeshi immigrants

The Union Home Ministry has instructed the Maharashtra government to take stringent action against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the state.

This directive came through a letter sent from the Union Home Ministry in Delhi to Maharashtra's Home Department officials.

The move followed a representation by former Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale, who raised concerns about illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, citing a report from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) on the issue.

On Tuesday, Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora urged the government to swiftly deport Bangladeshis residing illegally in the state to ensure "Mumbai's safety."

Deora stated, "I have written a letter to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and urged that wherever any Bangladeshi is living illegally, should be deported as soon as possible. The incident that happened at Saif Ali Khan's house is very worrying."

He added that an audit of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants across the state was essential to "make Mumbai more safe" and called for strict action against agencies that fail to verify documents before hiring individuals.

The urgency followed an incident where actor Saif Ali Khan was stabbed in the thoracic spine by an intruder, identified as Mohd Shariful Islam Shehzad, a Bangladeshi national.

The intruder reportedly entered Khan's home with the intent to steal. Khan was rushed to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital for treatment and was discharged on Tuesday, returning home.

In a separate legal development, three Bangladeshi nationals were sentenced to prison and fined by Mumbai's 8th Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) after being found guilty of illegally entering India and living with forged documents.

The verdict, issued by Addl CJM Kanchan Zanwar, was based on evidence provided by the Crime Branch of Mumbai Police.