Kendrapara: In the backdrop of the unrest and violence in neighbouring Bangladesh, the Odisha Police is on its toes to tackle the influx of immigrants to this coastal district. Kendrapara Superintendent of Police (SP) Siddharth Kataria Wednesday alerted all the three marine police stations of the district to remain vigilant to check the possible influx of Bangladeshi immigrants into Bhitarkanika National Park through the sea route. Notably, Odisha has one of the largest coastlines, stretching over 480km along the Bay of Bengal; however, it is not protected well despite the setting up of marine police stations after the 26/11 terrorist attack.
There were several instances in the past when fishing vessels from Myanmar, Thailand and most frequently Bangladesh had been seized by the Forest authorities or by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). In the wake of civil unrest and political uncertainty in Bangladesh, there is a possibility of exodus from Bangladesh to India, especially on sea routes. Keeping in mind the possible exodus of Bangladeshis via water route to take shelter at the fringes of Bhitarkanika National Park and also at their relatives’ houses in the coastal Kendrapara district, the SP has alerted the marine police stations to keep a close watch on the situation. The Kendrapara coast surprises many often as the illegal influx of Bangladeshis continues unabated.
Consequently, the areas like Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur coast have become ‘mini Bangladesh’ with the population of the illegal immigrants keeps increasing every year. There were several vulnerable points along the coast; but the state machineries, except for setting up marine police stations, has failed to do much in this regard as the marine police stations lack the sanctioned strength. The absence of modern sophisticated gadgets and seaworthy vessels keep the personnel of marine police stations from entering into the deep sea to curb illegal infiltration. Bangladeshi infiltrators manage to intrude into the coastal Kendrapara district, mostly during the month of May-September to settle in dollar spinning prawn business near the coasts. Some of them also come to their relatives’ houses, who have settled in the coastal districts, to help in prawn farming.
During September, some of the Bangladeshi immigrants return to their country after harvesting prawns while some illegally manage to settle permanently in the coastal pockets of Rajnagar and Mahakalapara blocks. Official sources said most of the Bangladeshi immigrants have been coming from the districts of Jashore, Khulna, Barisal and Faridpur in Bangladesh. All the illegal immigrants conceal their nationality and pose themselves as Indians by showing their origin from Midnapore in West Bengal. It has become a difficult task to identify the Bangladeshi infiltrators as the immigrants have striking similarity in physical appearance and mother tongue with that of the locals, who have migrated from West Bengal, official sources said. The Kendrapara SP said, “As a precautionary measure, it has been decided to keep all three marine police station personnel on high alert to prevent the Bangladeshi influx in the coastal pockets of Mahakalapara and Rajnagar blocks.” The ground staff members have been asked to immediately report any suspicious activities along the coast. The fishermen, who were venturing into the sea for fishing, have also been alerted and asked to report if they notice any foreign boat in the Bay of Bengal along the coast. The marine police in coordination with the Coast Guard personnel of Paradip have been protecting the coast, official sources said.