250 migrant workers detained in Hubballi; infiltration suspected

Hubballi

More than 250 migrant workers from West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh were briefly detained at the Gokul Road Bus Stand on Saturday following allegations that they were Bangladeshi nationals who had illegally entered the country. Leaders of Hindu organisations, who noticed a large group of labourers boarding Goa-bound buses, alerted authorities and expressed suspicion over their nationality. Acting on the information, police from the nearby Gokul Road police station rushed to the spot and stopped the workers from boarding the buses.

Senior police officials, revenue department staff and other authorities also arrived at the bus stand, where the workers were made to wait while their identity documents were verified. Officials checked Aadhaar cards, EPIC cards and other relevant identification documents as part of the inquiry. Meanwhile, Hubballi Central MLA Mahesh Tenginkai visited the bus stand after learning about the incident. Expressing concern, he alleged that the workers appeared to be infiltrators and urged Home Minister G. Parameshwara to order a comprehensive investigation into whether illegal immigrants from Bangladesh were entering Hubballi-Dharwad and other parts of the state.

He claimed that illegal immigration from Bangladesh was continuing unchecked and called upon the government to identify such individuals and deport them if found to be foreign nationals. Tenginkai further alleged that an increasing number of Bangladeshis were entering Congress-ruled states after the BJP’s victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections. He also stated that suspicions arose during the verification of Aadhaar details, prompting demands for a detailed inquiry. However, police sources told News Trail on condition of anonymity that officials from both the police and revenue departments thoroughly verified the workers’ backgrounds and identity documents.

According to the police, all of them were migrant workers travelling to Goa for work. Police said the workers had travelled on the Amaravati Express from their respective states on May 21 and 22. Due to line-blocking work between two stations in Goa, the train was short-terminated at Hubballi, forcing the passengers to continue their journey by road from the Gokul Road Bus Stand. Officials also contacted the workers’ relatives in their native places and confirmed that they were Indian nationals and not Bangladeshi citizens, as alleged by activists.

Following verification, the workers were allowed to continue their journey. In a related development, around 15 migrant workers travelling on a Belagavi-bound bus were detained by Malamaruti police for verification. Subsequent inquiry revealed that they were workers from West Bengal employed in jewellery workshops who had recently returned from their native places after casting their votes in the West Bengal Assembly elections.