Ahmedabad authorities disconnect power of illegal Bangladeshi households in Chandola

On Monday, authorities in Ahmedabad began a crackdown on illegal electricity connections at households of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants living near Chandola Lake. Senior police officers, including Commissioner of Police G S Malik and DCP (Crime) Ajit Raijyan, personally visited the place to supervise the operation.

The operation involved Torrent Power teams arriving at the site under police protection to disconnect illegal electricity connections from households suspected of sheltering undocumented Bangladeshis. Officials confirmed that electricity supplies to several houses were cut as part of the action.

Before police teams reached the location, however, many of the homes in the area were found locked, suggesting that the news of the operation had spread in advance. Despite this, extensive checks were carried out across the surrounding neighbourhoods.

Preliminary investigations revealed that 143 Bangladeshis were residing illegally in the area. Around 200 people were released after verification, while the documents of 590 others were found to be missing or inadequate. It also emerged during questioning that several individuals had previously been deported and had re-entered India unlawfully.

Notably, many of those detained neither possessed valid documents nor were able to communicate fluently in Hindi, raising further suspicion about their origins. The deportation process for 143 individuals has already been initiated, with the necessary paperwork dispatched to the relevant authorities.

Currently, nearly 500 people remain in detention in Ahmedabad. The high volume of detainees has overwhelmed the State Operations Group (SOG) and the Joint Interrogation Centre. Police have requested the Home Department to set up temporary detention centres at facilities similar to night shelters (rain baseras) to house those still in custody. Once arrangements are finalised, detainees will be relocated accordingly. This crackdown marks one of the largest operations in recent times targeting illegal immigration in the city.