Large number of illegal immigrants of different nationalities in India
16 Apr, 2013An application was filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to get information on the number of foreigners staying illegally in India and the efforts being made to deport them.
The reply from the Union government states that a total of 71,000 foreigners from 42 countries are staying in India illegally out of which the largest number is of Bangladeshi nationals counting to over 24,000. The data provided in the reply says that the number of Pakistani nationals staying illegally on Indian soil is 8,037 and their whereabouts are not known.
The applicant stated that though it cannot be said that all foreign national have some suspected motive behind their overstay, but there have been cases where illegal immigrants have been probed for terror links.
The applicant claimed that the data reveals that many persons have been staying illegally for many years and that many foreign nationals have entered India without valid travel documents. This indicates a lackadaisical approach of Indian agencies.
Is the exact number of illegal immigrants known to the country?