Karnataka government should deal with issue of illegal Bangladeshis in state with an iron hand: Ashoka

Bengaluru, Feb 2 (IANS) The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly, R. Ashoka, on Monday stated that the Karnataka government should not treat the issue of illegal Bangladeshis in the state as a matter of prestige and deal with it with an iron hand.

He made the statement while speaking on the motion of thanks to the Governor's speech in the Legislative Assembly on Monday.

"Illegal immigrants are now daring to carry out business in village fairs, some of them were arrested also. This is the beginning, if this is not dealt with firmly, the days are not far when these illegal immigrants will become terrorists," he claimed.

"The government should form special operation to deport illegal Bangladeshis and a separate team led by the police officer of the rank of DIG should be formed and the team should be given a free hand. In a few places the politicians are making illegal immigrants their vote bank," he stated.

"The issue should not be viewed by the government as a matter of prestige or from a political standpoint. It must be treated as a priority issue concerning future safety and security. According to the information available to me, more than 15 lakh migrants have settled in the state. Of these, over six lakh migrants are residing in and around Bengaluru city. As a result, they have been successful in taking away employment opportunities from workers who have migrated to Bengaluru from various rural parts of our own state," Ashoka claimed.

Some of those who have been settled here for decades are also involved in criminal activities in the state. There are reports that the High Court has denied bail to an accused who was caught after creating fake documents. What is even more serious and unfortunate is that police are registering case after case against those who are identifying and pointing out the locations of camps where illegal Bangladeshi nationals are staying, Ashoka noted.

"There are reports of an incident in which a woman shouted slogans of “Jai Bangla” during an operation to evict illegal settlers, following which she was arrested by the police. Questions are also being raised about how these migrants have settled in the Malnad district of the state. Despite all this, instead of taking action to evict the illegal settlers, the police have allegedly detained and harassed individuals such as Puneeth Kerehalli, Dr Nagendrappa and others who were showing the locations where Bangladeshi nationals were staying," Ashoka slammed.

"As per the information available to me, police are allegedly collecting monthly bribes from infiltration camps. They are also reportedly taking monthly bribes from landowners who have provided shelter to these illegal settlers. Illegal electricity connections have also been provided to these settlements," Ashoka said.

"Most of these migrants are engaged in construction work, salons, scrap collection, housekeeping jobs in hospitals, offices and multinational companies, as well as working in hotels, petrol bunks, selling daily-use goods, driving autorickshaws and goods carrier," he stated.

"Reports stated that in the Malnad region, large numbers of them are employed in coffee and tea plantations, homestays, resorts and farmhouses," Ashoka said.

The illegal Bangladeshis are collecting abandoned, useless cylinders, getting them painted and selling them. In this background, many cases of LPG gas cylinder explosions are reported.

After illegal Bangladeshis entering Malnad region by claiming that they hail from Assam, the incidents of conflicts, robbery, theft, narcotics supply, POCSO cases are on rise. The reports claim that police are openly admitting that the law and order in the state has affected by illegal Bangladeshis, Ashoka stated.

In Bengaluru's Whitefield and south east states, the menace of illegal immigrants has crossed limits. The Bangladeshis are caught in serious crime cases such as fake currency circulation, extortion on the pretext of being rag pickers. It is a challenging job to track and deport them, Ashoka said.

The influx of illegal immigrants has risen in the state after Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process has started in West Bengal. "We very well know what has happened in Kashmir and other states," he added.