J&K hands over alleged Bangladeshis to BSF

On Monday, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) authorities transported 150 alleged Bangadeshi nationals, accused of illegally staying in the Union territory, to Bagdogra in West Bengal on a special Indian Air Force aircraft, the Srinagar police said.

At Bagdogra, they were handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) to arrange their repatriation Bagdogra airport, in north-western West Bengal, is near the India-Bangladesh border and has previously served as a collection point for deportation flights from other States. Police, civil authorities, and the BSF oversaw the airlift and the border handover. Nothing has been made public regarding the names, ages, places of residence within Jammu and Kashmir or the dates of entry.

A second group of 150 is set to depart on October 7 under the same procedure. The authorities stated that these two groups are part of an ongoing effort to return Bangladeshi nationals who have been identified as illegal residents in J&K. Authorities have not yet released further details.

After the BSF takes custody of the individuals, the usual procedure is to conduct identity and document checks, detain them briefly, and then proceed to a border post where they will be formally repatriated. In previous instances when smaller groups were flown to the same airport, the force had completed the final part of the journey via border points in north West Bengal. 

If the flight on October 7 goes ahead as described, the total number of people moved over three days will reach 300, which is double the previous number. The authorities have presented both groups as part of a continuous process rather than as a single instance of clearance. 

According to the latest assessment of the J&K Home Department, there are 6,737 Rohingyas and 46 Bangladeshis spread across 10 districts in Jammu. In the Kashmir Valley, there are 919 Rohingyas and 458 Bangladeshis across six districts.

The UT administration shared the data on these illegal immigrants camping across Jammu and Kashmir during the visit of a high-level panel examining demographic changes in Jammu and Kashmir in August 2026.
The high-level committee on Demographic changes was informed that 101 cases involving 179 men and 21 women were registered against Rohingyas in Jammu. In the Kashmir Valley, 16 cases involving 41 women and four men have been register. 

Locals engaged these illegal immigrants in different jobs, mostly related to rag picking, cleaning, road digging etc.