The Gwalior Police have launched a large-scale verification campaign aimed at inhabitants from Assam and West Bengal who live in the city, after fears that some people may have given fraudulent addresses in order to relocate in the region. According to police authorities, specialized teams have been sent to several districts in Assam and West Bengal to verify the permanent residences supplied by these citizens during registration and legal procedures. The action comes amid growing worries over the abuse of identification and residency cards. “This is part of a preventive security activity. If there are any anomalies in the supplied address facts, stern legal action would be taken,” stated a senior police official from Gwalior.
The police have not disclosed the overall number of persons under investigation, but have stated that the operation is targeted at validating the legitimacy of address claims made by a certain group of migrant workers and citizens from the two eastern states. In a related event, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently announced that police in the South Salmara Mankachar area deported eight unlawful Bangladeshi infiltrators across the international border. He added that about 350 suspected infiltrators had already been evacuated from Assam. Furthermore, the Assam government has launched various eviction campaigns to clear illegal squatters from government and forest areas. More than 1.29 lakh bighas of land have been reclaimed as part of this campaign.