The Uttar Pradesh Police have been asked to identify Bangladeshis and other illegal immigrants so that they can be thrown out of India through legal means. The UP Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh has directed all district police chiefs to take necessary steps for national security.
In a letter to all district police chiefs, OP Singh said that the move, which is being seen as an unofficial launch of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in UP, was crucial for internal security. The letter also stated that the deportation of unauthorised persons identified in the exercise will be "time-bound and monitored by senior officials".
The move comes days after the final NRC list was released in BJP-ruled Assam where almost 19 lakh people have been declared as non-Indians.
The UP Police have been ordered to comb transport hubs and slum clusters on the outskirts of their districts and they will have to verify all sorts of documents produced by any person appearing suspicious. The department has also been asked to stay alert to track down government officials who help illegal residents prepare fake documents.
The police have also asked the construction firms to keep records identity proofs of all labourers. Fingerprints of people identified as Bangladeshis or other illegal immigrants will be taken.
Earlier, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had praised the implementation of the NRC in Assam, saying that he would launch a similar drive in his state if the need arose. "These things are being implemented phase-wise and I feel that when Uttar Pradesh will need an NRC, we will do so. In the first phase, it has been Assam and the way it is being implemented there, it can be an example for us," Adityanath had told a newspaper.
Union Home Minister arrived in Kolkata today to inaugurate a Durga Puja pandal at Salt Lake's Bj Block, after which he will address the BJP workers on NRC.
Shah had earlier asserted that the NRC will be introduced throughout India and all illegal immigrants will be thrown out of the country through legal means. "We had promised to the people of the country in our election manifesto that not only in Assam but we will bring NRC all over the country and make a register of the country's people, and for others (illegal immigrants) action would be taken as per law," Shah said.
