Chhattisgarh will conduct a two-month statewide drive to identify suspected undocumented foreign nationals, with police examining the role of employers, labour contractors, landlords and accommodation providers who may have enabled their stay through jobs, housing or forged identity documents.
The verification campaign will run from November 15 to January 15, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Vijay Sharma announced on October 29. It will cover industrial areas, construction sites, rented accommodation, hotels, lodges and other locations identified by the police.
The government has given particular attention to industrial centres including Raipur, Korba and Raigarh. Police have been asked to examine whether contractors in industry, road and building construction, cottage industries and jaggery manufacturing units have employed undocumented foreign workers or arranged their accommodation. Employers and contractors have been directed to verify workers’ documents before engaging them.
Landlords will also be asked to obtain and verify tenant identification documents. The state plans to expand the use of a tenant-verification app for sharing such information with the police. Hotels, lodges, dharamshalas and other accommodation providers will come under scrutiny, with legal action proposed against those knowingly sheltering undocumented foreign nationals.
The exercise will extend beyond police investigations. In rural areas, information about suspected illegal immigrants will be gathered through gram sabhas, while meetings with municipal councillors will be organised in towns and cities. The approach places local institutions and neighbourhood-level information within a wider policing and identity-verification process.
The state government also plans to develop dedicated software to maintain records of people under verification, their documents and the findings of inquiries conducted by different police units. The system is intended to allow police in one district to access verification details recorded elsewhere, reducing duplication and helping investigators trace alleged networks involved in illegal migration.
Sharma said Aadhaar, PAN and ration cards do not by themselves prove Indian citizenship. He directed officials to verify the nationality and legal status of suspected foreign nationals in accordance with Union home ministry guidelines and existing laws. He also said prolonged residence in India does not automatically establish citizenship.
The minister directed police to compile detailed records of people suspected of having entered the state illegally from Bangladesh. He cited suspected involvement of illegal immigrants in theft cases in Mungeli and Bemetara districts and nine other criminal cases, and asked officers to investigate those instances thoroughly. The supplied report does not establish that the people being investigated were responsible for those crimes.
The government has said investigations must be evidence-based and comply with legal provisions. That distinction will be significant because the drive involves workers, tenants, landlords, contractors and local representatives across both urban and rural areas. A person being identified or questioned during the campaign does not, by itself, establish illegal entry or criminal liability.
Citizens have been asked to share information about suspected illegal immigration through the toll-free helpline 1800-233-1905. Officials said information received through the helpline would be examined by the appropriate agencies. The statewide verification drive is scheduled to begin on November 15 and continue until January 15.
