KOLKATA: Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday announced the enforcement of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state and said illegal immigrants not covered under the Act will be arrested and handed over to the BSF for deportation. “The Act is being enforced in the state from today… BSF will get in touch with BDR (Bangladesh Rifles, now known as Border Guard Bangladesh) and deport them,” Adhikari said after a meeting with BSF officers at Nabanna.

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Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who entered India till Dec 31, 2024, to flee religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan can apply for citizenship under CAA, as per the Central govt notification issued in Sept last year. Members of the six communities can stay in India legally even without valid passports. The home ministry had in May 2025 issued fresh guidelines regarding the identification and deportation of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. It also set up two empowered committees to process applications for citizenship. “The central govt sent a notification to the state govt on May 14, 2025, asking them to hand over illegal immigrants to BSF. The earlier govt opposed granting of citizenship under the Act and also did not enforce the order,” the CM said.