In the run-up to the Assembly elections, 14 Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) on Wednesday night after allegedly entering India illegally and attempting to travel from Assam to Delhi by train, railway police officials said.
The group was detained during a special security check aboard the Kamakhya–North East Express at Jalpaiguri Road Station. Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel flagged several passengers whose behaviour appeared suspicious. Upon verification, discrepancies were found between their statements and the details on their Aadhaar cards.
The entire group was subsequently deboarded and interrogated, during which officials confirmed that they were Bangladeshi citizens. According to authorities, the detainees had boarded the train from Kamakhya in Assam and were travelling in a general coach. They had plans to reach Delhi.
Officials said the group—comprising five men, five women, one minor girl, and three minor boys—intended to travel onwards to Jammu and Kashmir from Delhi.
Biplab Dutta, an RPF official at Jalpaiguri Road Station, stated that during the search operation, inconsistencies in the passengers’ statements led to further scrutiny. “Several documents identifying them as Bangladeshi nationals were recovered,” he said.
Authorities seized five Android mobile phones, one basic feature phone, Bangladeshi currency, and alleged forged Indian identity documents, including Aadhaar and PAN cards. Malaysian currency was also reportedly recovered from the group.
The detainees will be produced before a local court on Thursday. Investigators are currently questioning them to determine how they crossed the border, the routes they used, and whether they received assistance in procuring forged documents.
The incident has raised concerns over border security and the possible involvement of organised networks facilitating illegal entry and movement across states, particularly in the sensitive pre-election period.
The issue has also triggered political reactions. The BJP has repeatedly alleged that illegal infiltration from Bangladesh is being enabled with the support of the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), claiming that such individuals acquire voter identity documents unlawfully.
The TMC, however, has countered that border security falls under the jurisdiction of the Central Government, arguing that stricter vigilance by the Border Security Force (BSF) would prevent such incidents.
With infiltration emerging as a key issue in the 2026 electoral discourse, the case is expected to intensify the ongoing political debate over security and accountability.
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