Action against ‘illegal foreigners’ being taken according to the law: Jaiswal on 'push-in' to Bangladesh

India will take action against Bangladeshis and other foreign nationals residing illegally in India in accordance with the domestic laws, Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said today, Friday. He made the remark during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi in response to questions regarding Dhaka's recent allegations.

During the briefing, a local journalist asked about the Indian government's stance on Dhaka’s claims that the Border Security Force (BSF) was intentionally pushing individuals across the border into Bangladesh. In response, Jaiswal stated that if any foreign national is found residing in India illegally, the country has existing laws to address the issue and will act accordingly.

"We have laws to deal with all foreign nationals in India, if they are here illegally, including from Bangladesh,” he said. The spokesperson further added that a bilateral mechanism is in place for the repatriation of such individuals. “We refer these cases to the Bangladeshi side, for them to verify the nationality of these people, and once it is verified, then we take forward the deportation process,” he said. Jaiswal claimed that a large number of such verification requests are currently pending with Bangladesh.

"We have many of these requests which are still pending with the Bangladeshi side, and we hope and expect that they’ll be expedited as soon as possible so that the deportation of people who are illegally staying in India can be taken forward in a smooth and efficient manner,” Jaiswal said.

The statement came amid reports of a standoff at the Chapainawabganj border, where the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) reportedly foiled a ‘push-in’ attempt by the BSF, leaving 28 people stranded in no-man's land.