Mumbai, February 12 Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Thursday that he had directed authorities to identify and deport Bangladeshis living illegally in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra.
Shinde issued the directive at a meeting of the Mumbai District Planning and Development Committee (DPDC) a day after the newly elected BJP mayor of the metropolis said that deporting illegal Bangladeshi immigrants encroaching on city roads would be among her priorities.
Shinde, who is the guardian minister of the Mumbai district, said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had taken the issue seriously.
"Bangladeshis who have infiltrated and who are staying illegally should be identified. The district collectorate and police have been asked to identify them. If they have been issued Aadhaar cards or other documents, they should be cancelled," he told reporters.
The issue was raised by Shiv Sena leader and Member of Maharashtra Legislative Council Manisha Kayande at the DPDC meet chaired by the deputy CM.
"Aadhaar cards and other documents of Bangladeshis staying illegally in the country must be cancelled," she said, asking how such persons could take advantage of government schemes.
Local Congress MLA Amin Patel told reporters that he cited government data at the meeting to state that 1,060 Bangladeshi nationals were deported in 2025, and asserted that street vendors should not be harassed under the pretext of action against illegal immigrants.
"We believe that every illegal immigrant living in Mumbai or Maharashtra should be sent back to their respective country. But in the name of action against illegal immigration, the civic authorities should not harass street vendors," Patel told reporters.
Kayande should question her own party's government over the issue, he said.
Upon her election as Mumbai mayor on Wednesday, BJP leader Ritu Tawde had said that Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya were encroaching on the city's footpaths, and clearing these encroachments would be among her priorities.