Indian intelligence agencies are on high alert along the West Bengal-Bangladesh border amid a large-scale deportation drive launched by the newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal, with officials warning that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is actively seeking to recruit deported illegal immigrants as potential assets — leveraging their deep familiarity with Indian geography, communities, and systems.

The Deportation Drive

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has directed state police and district administrations to detect, detain, and deport illegal immigrants from Bangladesh on a priority basis. Reports indicate massive gatherings at border crossing points as many individuals, fearing detention, have begun self-deporting. Adhikari has explicitly instructed officials to expedite repatriation and, according to reports, has directed state police to bypass traditional judicial proceedings in processing these cases.

An official familiar with the drive said it was overdue, noting that illegal immigration had placed considerable strain on public infrastructure and state systems over an extended period.

ISI's Alleged Recruitment Strategy

According to an Intelligence Bureau official, the ISI is looking to capitalise on the situation by activating its radicalisation networks along the border. The official said that with Jamaat-e-Islami having secured significant electoral wins in border-adjacent areas of Bangladesh, Pakistan now has an organisational advantage to push forward with what agencies describe as a structured radicalisation plan.

The same official noted that scores of touts operating across the border — previously used to facilitate illegal crossings — are now reportedly being contacted by ISI-linked elements to intercept deportees and funnel them into radicalisation camps inside Bangladesh.

Expert Assessment: Why Deportees Are Valuable to the ISI

Dr Abhinav Pandya, Chief Executive Officer of the Usanas Foundation, said Indian agencies had long underestimated the strategic dimension of demographic shifts along the border. He argued that the ISI's broader objective has been to engineer demographic change in India, with the long-term aim of replicating in other parts of the country what occurred in Kashmir.

'Pakistan has realised that it cannot beat India in a conventional war,' Dr Pandya said. 'They want to do in the rest of India what they did in Kashmir.' He added that deported individuals, many of whom have lived in India for years, carry precise local knowledge — making them, in the ISI's calculus, ideal recruits for terror modules.

Lt Col Ujjwal Abhishek Jha (Retd), an intelligence veteran and analyst, said Pakistan would also exploit the deportation issue to construct a narrative portraying India as an oppressor — a propaganda tool to strain India-Bangladesh bilateral ties at a moment when both sides are reportedly working to stabilise relations. He noted that the Jamaat-e-Islami's strong support base along the border corridor gives the ISI a ready-made infrastructure for such operations.

Security Response

Officials confirmed that borders are on heightened alert and that all ISI-backed activity is under close surveillance. Agencies have stated that radicalised elements will be prevented from re-entering India. The Intelligence Bureau is coordinating with state police to monitor both the deportation process and any counter-radicalisation threats emerging from the Bangladesh side.

Broader Implications

This comes amid already fragile India-Bangladesh diplomatic ties, with both governments navigating a sensitive reset. Security analysts warn that Pakistan's use of the deportation issue as a wedge could complicate that process significantly. The situation is being watched closely at the national level, with the Centre monitoring both the humanitarian dimensions of the deportation drive and the security risks it may generate across the border.