Over 1.50 lakh Bangladeshis obtained fake documents in Maharashtra in 2024, claims BJP leader

Thane, Jan 23 (PTI) BJP leader Kirit Somaiya on Thursday claimed that more than 1.50 lakh illegal Bangladeshi immigrants procured fake documents for Indian citizenship in Maharashtra in 2024, and demanded a thorough investigation into the malpractice and action against the authorities involved in it.

He also said that two lakh illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have applied to procure fake documents, like birth certificates, in the state at present.

The issue of Bangladeshis entering India and residing in the country illegally has gained prominence after the police arrested Shareeful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir alias Vijay Das, a 30-year-old Bangladeshi national, for the knife attack on actor Saif Ali Khan at the latter's residence in Mumbai.

The attacker, arrested on Sunday, initially tried to mislead investigators by claiming that he is a Kolkata resident, however, police nailed his lie and secured his school leaving certificate from his Bangladesh-based brother on his mobile phone, officials earlier said.

Talking to reporters outside the Bhiwandi tehsildar's office, Somaiya said, "It has come to light that more than 1,000 Bangladeshi nationals have applied to get birth certificates in Bhiwandi alone. Hundreds of them have already been issued certificates by local tehsils and gram panchayats...I spent over an hour inspecting records of birth certificates, death certificates and related applications." The BJP leader accused local officials of facilitating the process of giving fake documents to Bangladeshis, and claimed that similar activities were reported in Malegaon, a Muslim-dominated town in Nashik district.

"Approximately two lakh Bangladeshis have applied for documents across the state," he alleged, and called for immediate action in the matter.

The past instances of issuances of forged documents to Bangladeshi nationals prompted the state government to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The probe team has since raided several locations, and a preliminary report has been submitted to the government, he added.

The BJP leader accused the authorities in Muslim-dominated areas of indulging in irregularities and giving fake documents to the illegal immigrants.

"Several gram panchayats like Khoni, Mahapoli and Padgha have illegally issued birth certificates without proper verification of documents. People aged 50, 60, and 70 are now applying for birth certificates. Where were they all these years?" he asked, alleging that most submissions were based on fake documents.

The BJP leader sought Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' intervention to halt the issuance of such certificates and conduct a thorough review of more than 1.50 lakh birth certificates issued to Bangladeshi nationals in the state last year.

"Action should be taken against the officials involved in such irregularities of issuing fake documents and said a case of sedition be registered against the gram panchayats that have issued birth certificates to the outsiders," he said. PTI COR NP