LUCKNOW — Amidst the polarised discourse and debate over infiltrators – the latest during the Bihar elections, the Uttar Pradesh government has announced a clear ‘roadmap’ for driving them out, thereby denying them any direct or indirect role in the country’s democratic and electoral process.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday directed the District Magistrates (DMs) to take swift and stringent action against the infiltrators and illegal immigrants living illegally in the state.
According to a government statement, the District Magistrates have been asked to identify the illegal immigrants staying illegally across 75 districts of the state and keep them in temporary detention facilities, until evicted under the lawful procedure.
Law and order, national security, and social harmony must take precedence over everything, and there must not be any compromise with any illegal activity – was the message delivered by CM Yogi to the District Magistrates.
All the district administrations have been directed to identify illegal immigrants residing in their areas and subsequently take action, in accordance with the law.
“The Chief Minister has also instructed the establishment of temporary detention centres in each district to house identified infiltrators,” a government release said.
The move to stamp out infiltrators and intruders from the state reiterates the Yogi government’s zero tolerance for the ‘outsiders’, a reference to Bangladeshi, Pakistani nationals, as well as Rohingya Muslims. Currently, there are more than 1.5 crore illegal immigrants residing in the country, as per some estimates.
In a similar drive earlier this year, the Uttar Pradesh police had launched a campaign to ‘identify and isolate’ illegal immigrants suspected of living in the state with false and fake identity cards.
As the Chief Minister’s directions come in the backdrop of the voter purification drive by the Election Commission, the issue is set to snowball into a major political row, drawing strong protest from the Opposition parties. — IANS
