Uttar Pradesh State Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh has asked all district police chiefs to identify Bangladeshis and other foreigners who are illegally staying in the state. This is being seen as an unofficial launch of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Uttar Pradesh.
In his letter to the district police chiefs, the DGP has said that “this move was crucial for internal security”.
The Uttar Pradesh police have been ordered to comb transport hubs and slum clusters on the outskirts of their districts and verify all documents produced by anyone appearing suspicious.
The police have also been asked to track down the government employees who may have helped prepare the fake documents for the “foreigners and illegal residents”.
Fingerprints of people identified as Bangladeshis or other foreigners will be taken. Focusing on a large floating population in the state, the police have told construction companies to keep records identity proofs of all laborers.
Last month, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had praised the Assam NRC and had said that he would launch a similar move in his state if need be. In an interview, he had said that the Assam exercise was important for “national security”.
Source: Swarajya
