State takes steps to prevent illegal immigrants from getting Aadhaar

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 16

The Jammu and Kashmir Government has prepared a list of over 31,000 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar to prevent them from getting enrolled under the Aadhaar scheme.

Jammu has become a “safe haven” for the illegal immigrants and they are adopting “deceitful tactics” to acquire Aadhaar cards.

Agencies involved in issuing Aadhaar cards have been told to maintain a strict vigil on the immigrants as some of them have managed to get fake ration cards and other documents to prove themselves as bona fide citizens of the state.

“The biggest challenge before us is to keep a strict vigil on Rohingya refugees as some of them have managed to acquire documents which are required for getting an Aadhaar card,” a senior officer of the urban local bodies told The Tribune on condition of anonymity.

The officer said over 2,000 applications for getting Aadhaar card on fake documents were rejected by the authorities after scrutiny.

A Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist, who was arrested by the police last month, had managed to get a fake Aadhaar card. The authorities, therefore, are maintaining extra vigil.

The agencies involved in the process are not competent enough to check the authenticity of ration cards and other documents, which these foreigners have acquired, said the officer.

Sources said the authorities had prepared a list of over 31,000 foreigners and outsiders, who earlier tried to get their names included in the electoral roll for the Assembly elections.

“The agencies involved in making Aadhaar cards have been told to keep a strict vigil on these people,” said a source in the urban local bodies.

“The agencies have been directed to get the documents properly verified before issuing an Aadhaar card,” the source added.

The government had earlier admitted on the floor of the Legislative Assembly that 1,219 Rohingya families, comprising 5,107 members, were living in Jammu after they fled persecution in Myanmar.

Most of the Burmese refugees live in the Narwal Bala area on the outskirts of Jammu city.

The government had claimed that out of the total Rohingya refugees living in Jammu, 4,912 were in possession of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees cards while 186 were without the cards.

Sources said some of the illegal immigrants were living in the city under the “patronage” of some politicians.

“We are not making their names public as certain politicians for their petty political gains will rush to their rescue. We have rather send their biodata to the agencies involved in making Aadhaar cards,” said a source.