Bengaluru, 13 Jan

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said the State government has begun verification of reports about Bangladeshi nationals obtaining Aadhaar and other identity documents and assured that action would be taken wherever violations are found.

Speaking to reporters here, Parameshwara said he has already instructed senior police officials to compile detailed data on the presence of Bangladeshi nationals in Karnataka.

The focus, he said, is on identifying those who have entered the country illegally and secured local identity documents to stay in the state.

"We are verifying it. Already, I have told the Director General of Police and the police commissioners to extract statistics about Bangladeshis staying in Karnataka," Parameshwara said, adding, "They have come here and got different kinds of ID cards. They have got Aadhaar cards and other IDs and are behaving as if they are not even Bangladeshis."

His response came following the arrest of two Bangladeshi nationals in the state, who allegedly possessed Aadhaar cards as well.

The Home Minister said the state government has already deported some Bangladeshi nationals and will continue to do so wherever such cases are established.

"We will verify and take action accordingly. We have deported a few," he said.

Referring to how illegal immigrants may be entering the country, Parameshwara said border management is the responsibility of the Centre.

"It is said that they sneak into India by paying bribes. It's the Centre to look after borders through the Border Security Force (BSF) or the military.

There are porous borders. We don't know how they enter, whether by paying a bribe or stealthily," he said.

He said many illegal immigrants choose Bengaluru as it is considered a peaceful city. "They settle in Bengaluru, considering it peaceful," he noted.

Parameshwara said the police had identified Bangladeshi nationals working in coffee estates in Sakaleshpur and deported them.

"We got to know that some are staying in Sakaleshpur coffee estates. We identified them and deported them. They get menial jobs," he said.

The Home Minister said information has also been received about the presence of Bangladeshi nationals in Anekal and neighbouring regions.

"We got the information that they are at Anekal on the Bengaluru outskirts and neighbouring regions, which we are verifying. Wherever there are Bangladeshis, we will identify them and send them back," he said.

On reports of certain groups or individuals voluntarily checking antecedents to trace Bangladeshi nationals, Parameshwara issued a clear warning.

"There is no scope for taking the law into their hands," he said, adding that citizens can only pass information to the police.

"They can provide information to police about the presence of Bangladeshis, but other than that, they cannot take action on their own. Can they deport them?" he asked.

He cautioned that any attempt to manhandle people would invite strict action.

"If they misbehave and manhandle people, then we will take action against them. We have not given them authority -- be it BJP or anyone else, there is no right to manhandle them," he said.

Parameshwara said the government would make public the figures related to deportations. "We will release data on the number of people deported," he added.