The Jammu and Kashmir administration has moved 150 Bangladeshi nationals out of Kashmir as part of an ongoing drive to identify and remove foreign nationals allegedly staying in the Union Territory without valid documentation. On October 5, the group was flown from Srinagar to Bagdogra in West Bengal on a special Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft and handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) for onward repatriation to Bangladesh, according to officials and Srinagar Police.
The action reportedly followed a verification exercise in which workers were asked to produce their Aadhaar cards and discrepancies in their details were flagged. A senior police officer told ThePrint that the details were subsequently shared with authorities in Bangladesh, who confirmed the individuals’ nationality.
The officer said the process was based on intelligence inputs and carried out under the law governing the presence of foreign nationals in India. Officials have said another batch of 150 Bangladeshi nationals is scheduled to be moved on October 7. While authorities have described the individuals as Bangladeshi nationals staying illegally in J&K, no public response from the deportees or Bangladeshi authorities was reported in the accounts reviewed.
Aadhaar Checks Triggered
The latest action followed a registration and verification exercise carried out across Kashmir, during which authorities sought identity documents from workers living in different parts of the Valley. According to a senior police officer quoted by ThePrint, “a mismatch in the data was flagged”, prompting authorities to investigate the individuals’ nationality.
Their details were then reportedly sent to Bangladesh for confirmation. Once their nationality was confirmed, authorities initiated the removal process. The 150 people, many of whom were working as labourers in Kashmir, were kept at a facility under police supervision before being transported to Srinagar airport. From there, they were flown to Bagdogra, where BSF personnel took charge of the group. The official said West Bengal has transit points, including Bagdogra and Malda, from where people identified for repatriation can be escorted towards the India-Bangladesh border.
The account highlights how identity discrepancies, rather than an Aadhaar card itself, became the starting point for further verification. Aadhaar is an identity document and does not by itself establish Indian citizenship.
Wider Verification Drive
The deportation is part of a broader exercise by the J&K administration and police to identify foreign nationals allegedly living in the Union Territory without valid documents. Officials told Hindustan Times that a survey across the Kashmir Valley identified around 600 Bangladeshi nationals allegedly staying illegally, while other reports have cited a separate official figure of 504 Bangladeshi nationals recorded across J&K. The differing numbers appear to relate to separate stages or datasets of the identification process rather than necessarily representing the same count.
The exercise comes after a Centre-appointed High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes visited Jammu and Kashmir in August as part of its wider assessment of demographic changes and illegal immigration. The committee met officials and visited locations including a Rohingya settlement in Jammu. Meanwhile, police and intelligence agencies have continued their verification efforts in the Valley. Officials have indicated that the process will continue, with another group of 150 Bangladeshis reportedly scheduled to be moved on October 7. Reports also suggest that further groups could be processed after verification.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Identifying and removing foreign nationals who are found, after due verification, to be staying in India without legal permission is within the responsibility of the authorities. However, such exercises also carry a serious responsibility: nationality must be established carefully, and every individual must be treated with dignity and given appropriate procedural safeguards.
An Aadhaar discrepancy can reasonably trigger scrutiny, but it should not by itself become a substitute for a thorough determination of nationality or legal status. Migrant workers, regardless of where they come from, are often among the most vulnerable people in society, and public discourse around migration should avoid turning individuals into targets of suspicion or hostility.
As J&K proceeds with further deportations, transparency about the verification process, the legal basis for each removal and the safeguards available to those affected will be important for maintaining public trust. How can authorities balance the need to enforce immigration laws with fairness, dignity and due process for every person involved?
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