Overview

• Odisha Police have detained 444 suspected Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya refugees in Jharsuguda and Brajrajnagar and transferred them to two holding centres under a Home Ministry 30-day verification drive.
• Trinamool Congress leaders allege over 200 Bengali-speaking workers with valid Aadhaar and voter ID cards are among those held and have filed habeas corpus petitions demanding their immediate release.
• Inspector General Himanshu Lal says the multi-layered verification process allows individuals who produce valid documents to return home, while those without proper papers remain in custody.
• West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant has written to Odisha counterparts urging intervention over alleged harassment and the Calcutta High Court has now appointed nodal officers for inter-state coordination.
• The mass detentions are part of a nationwide Home Ministry directive that has identified more than 2,500 suspected undocumented migrants across several BJP-ruled states, raising due process and human rights concerns.