Border Security Force (BSF) officials told The Economic Times in the early hours of 25 November that the number of Bangladesh citizens repatriated through the Hakimpur check-post in North 24 Parganas has jumped from single-digit daily averages to "three-digit" figures since a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls began earlier this month.
BSF sources say roughly 300 people per day are now processed for return to Bangladesh after biometric and criminal-record checks. West Bengal governor C. V. Ananda Bose visited the crossing on Monday to review facilities amid concerns that local police drives to verify residency status are pushing undocumented migrants to exit voluntarily.
![Spike in Bangladeshis leaving West Bengal raises questions over border-control workload]()
Why it matters for corporate mobility: employers—especially in logistics, textiles and informal construction—who rely on low-wage migrant labour in eastern India could face sudden labour-supply tightening and additional scrutiny of workforce documentation. Companies should audit vendor compliance and ensure identity papers of contract staff are in order.
The surge also puts pressure on BSF staffing and could slow legitimate cross-border movements of goods and seasonal workers if queues lengthen. India and Bangladesh have been negotiating simplified business-visa regimes, but rising irregular migration may harden attitudes on both sides.
Observers note that similar exit spikes occurred during voter-list revisions in 2015 and 2019 but subsided within weeks once documentation drives concluded. Whether the current uptick will follow past patterns depends on the political temperature ahead of state elections next year.
BSF sources say roughly 300 people per day are now processed for return to Bangladesh after biometric and criminal-record checks. West Bengal governor C. V. Ananda Bose visited the crossing on Monday to review facilities amid concerns that local police drives to verify residency status are pushing undocumented migrants to exit voluntarily.
Why it matters for corporate mobility: employers—especially in logistics, textiles and informal construction—who rely on low-wage migrant labour in eastern India could face sudden labour-supply tightening and additional scrutiny of workforce documentation. Companies should audit vendor compliance and ensure identity papers of contract staff are in order.
The surge also puts pressure on BSF staffing and could slow legitimate cross-border movements of goods and seasonal workers if queues lengthen. India and Bangladesh have been negotiating simplified business-visa regimes, but rising irregular migration may harden attitudes on both sides.
Observers note that similar exit spikes occurred during voter-list revisions in 2015 and 2019 but subsided within weeks once documentation drives concluded. Whether the current uptick will follow past patterns depends on the political temperature ahead of state elections next year.
