The police have arrested 11 people from Ernakulam district in just over a week in what appears to be a focused push towards rounding up irregular migrants.
While the Kochi City police arrested six persons, five were arrested by the Ernakulam Rural police. A meeting convened by the Chief Minister on January 7 had reportedly directed the police in the district to focus on the registration of migrant workers, especially in rural areas, which are a major hub of migrant workers in Kerala. So far, the rural police have registered around 1.50 lakh migrants, accounting for the majority of registrations in the State.
The Kochi city police nabbed all six suspected irregular migrants from Bangladesh, including three on Saturday (January 25), on tip-offs received from the Anti-Terrorism Squad. They remain booked under provisions of the Passport Act and the Registration of Foreigners Act, entailing an imprisonment term of two to eight years.
“We have arrested very few persons to draw up a pattern on their irregular migration. They will be deported in coordination with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office, Bureau of Immigration, and the Bangladesh consulate in India after confirming their Bangladeshi nationality,” said Putta Vimaladitya, District Police Chief (Kochi City).
Benoy Peter, executive director, Centre for Migration and Development said that there was no denying the presence of a large, irregular Bangladeshi immigrant community among the migrant workforce in Ernakulam. “But it is also a fact that the majority of them are here for livelihood reasons, having been forced to migrate from their country, which is among the most vulnerable to climate change in the world. In their desperation, they take up the most hazardous jobs, which even the other migrant workers turn down. Also, since the Central agencies are keeping a close tab on disruptive elements, there is no need to be alarmed about the detention of a few suspected irregular migrants,” he added.
“They [migrants] cross the border helped by the agents in Kolkata, and then agents in Mumbai or Bengaluru help them source fake documents like the Aadhaar card. Many of them prefer Kerala since the wages here are high, and also, they get treated better even if they get caught here,” said Vaibhav Saxena, District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural).
Published - January 25, 2025 07:44 pm IST
