West Tripura formed STF for identification, deportation of all illegal Bangladeshi, Rohingyas

Based on the directives of the Union Home Ministry for identification of illegal migrants and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingyas from Tripura, the West Tripura district police has formed a Special Task Force (STF) headed by a Dy SP with participation officer-in-charge (OCs) of different police stations of the district.

Earlier, BJP ally Tipra Motha sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention for sending back all illegal Bangladeshi immigrants living in Tripura.

Motha’s supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma , who demanded deportation of all illegal Bangladeshi from the soil of Tripura, has welcomed the decision of the Tripura police .

Giving details about the formation of STF, SP(West Tripura), Kiran Kumar said that in accordance with the deportation of illegal Bangladesh nationals and Rohingyas, the STF has been formed to detect, identify and deport illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar settled in the district.

He said that STF has been headed by Dy SP (DIB) Debasish Saha and OCs of 14 police stations under the district has been named as members of STF.

Though, Kumar added that in a transfer order, issued by the DGP on July 17, 2025, most of the OCs were transferred and posted different police stations in different districts of the state and it will not effect in the functioning of STF as new OCs under West Tripura district will also be a part of the STF.

He said that STF has been asked to identify all illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingyas after proper enquiry and respective team members will immediately ensure the capture of their biometrics with fingerprint and photographs along with demographic details of the foreigners’ identification portal of Ministry Home Affairs (MHA).

After capturing of biometrics and demographic details, the illegal immigrants shell be handed over to the officers of designated BSF for deportation or send back to their native country, said SP Kiran Kumar.

Police sources said that apart from SFT, a Mobile Task Force (MTF) unit is also working across the district for detection and deportation of all the illegal migrants.

In the mid part of June last, a delegation of Tipra-Motha led by senior party leader and Forest Minister Animesh Debbarma met Tripura Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu  and handed over a memorandum, seeking the PM's intervention.

Animesh Debbarma   said that following the directives of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), states like Gujarat, Assam and Meghalaya took swift action.

"Illegal migrants were detained, flown to various border areas and pushed back to their country of origin. This has not been done in Tripura as was expected," he said.

Debbarma said Tipra-Motha urged the PM to send a task force to the state.

"We also urged for the setting up of a mechanism, involving the Assam Rifles, CRPF and the state police to detect, detain and push back the illegal migrants," he said.

Expressing concern over "demographic change" in the state, Debbarma said, "As per government records, the state accepted 6, 09,000 people who had migrated from Bangladesh for various reasons during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. An accord was signed with a cut-off date of March 24, 1971, for the identification of illegal migrants."