New Delhi, Aug 5: The Delhi Police’s Central district has apprehended 11 Bangladeshi nationals for violating the conditions of their double-entry visas by overstaying beyond the permitted duration of each visit, officials said on Wednesday.

The action was carried out under Operation VISTA 1.0 (Visa Status Verification), a special enforcement drive launched by the Foreigner Cell of the Special Staff, Central district, to identify foreign nationals who have either overstayed in India or violated the conditions of their visas while residing in the national capital.

As part of the operation, a dedicated police team was constituted under the leadership of Inspector Sandeep Dabas, In-Charge of the Anti Auto Theft Squad (AATS), Central district, and under the close supervision of ACP (Operations) Padam Singh Rana.

Police said that on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, while patrolling the Paharganj area, the police team received specific information from a reliable source that certain Bangladeshi nationals, whose visas had already expired, were staying illegally in Delhi.

Acting on the information, the police apprehended one individual identified as Nayeem Ahmed, a resident of Sylhet, Bangladesh, and questioned him regarding his identity and place of residence. During the inquiry, he disclosed that he was a Bangladeshi national currently residing in the Paharganj area.

He produced his Bangladeshi passport, which was verified by the police on the spot. During verification, officials found that the passport had been issued on March 23 and that his authorised stay in India was valid only until June 28.

However, he was allegedly continuing to stay in the country beyond the permitted period without obtaining any valid extension or legal authorisation, thereby violating the applicable immigration regulations.

During sustained interrogation, Nayeem Ahmed allegedly disclosed that several other Bangladeshi nationals were also residing illegally in Delhi after overstaying their visas.

The information was immediately conveyed to the In-Charge of AATS, who directed the formation of a dedicated police team to verify the inputs and take further action.

Acting on the information provided by Nayeem Ahmed and based on his identification, the police team conducted a raid at Flat No. 158, Hauz Rani in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, where ten more Bangladeshi nationals were allegedly found residing illegally.

The police apprehended all ten individuals and examined their passports and travel documents. Upon verification, officials found that all of them had allegedly remained in India beyond the validity of their visas and had no lawful authority to continue their stay in the country.

The findings were once again brought to the notice of the In-Charge of AATS, following which directions were issued to initiate deportation proceedings against all 11 Bangladeshi nationals in accordance with the prescribed legal procedure.

The detained individuals have been identified as Tahmid Ahmed Tanjid (19), Sajjad Hussain (25), Sabbir Ahmed (28), Nayeem Ahmed (22), MD Kamal Hossian (43), Shakil Ahmed Naim (23), MD Asharaful Haque Mamun (35), Sultan Ahmed Sojib (29), Mujammil Ahmad (30), Bakhtiar Ahmad Johuri (29), and Jakaria (26).

According to officials, verification of their passports, visas and immigration records revealed that all 11 individuals had entered India on double-entry visas, under which they were permitted to stay in the country for a maximum period of 15 days during each visit.

However, the investigation found that all of them had allegedly remained in India beyond the permissible period, thereby violating the conditions of their visas.

Following their apprehension, all 11 foreign nationals were produced before the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), which initiated the necessary legal proceedings and issued Restriction Orders directing their detention pending completion of the deportation process.

New Delhi, Aug 5: As India marked the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the development and progress of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and the people residing there.

He stated that in these seven years, the Union Territories have witnessed significant transformation across sectors.

Article 370 was abrogated on August 5, 2019, after the Central government led by Prime Minister Modi revoked the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir through a Presidential Order, ending the constitutional provisions that had granted it special autonomy.

“Seven years ago, on this day, Articles 370 and 35(A) became history, marking a decisive new chapter in the journey of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh,” PM Modi posted on X.

“Since then, the lives of the people of J&K and Ladakh have witnessed wide-ranging transformation. Infrastructure has expanded, opportunities in areas such as education, healthcare, entrepreneurship and sports have grown. Be it the women or the marginalised communities, those who were denied their basic constitutional rights for decades have been empowered thanks to the full application of the Constitution of India,” he added.

The Prime Minister said that this year, August 5 assumes “even greater significance” as the nation will commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh.

“His lifelong commitment to national unity continues to inspire generations. What he envisioned decades ago found historic fulfilment on 5th August 2019,” PM Modi said.

“We reaffirm our commitment to the progress of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh and to ensure that every citizen has the opportunity to dream big, achieve and contribute to the making of a Viksit Bharat,” he added.

Article 370 became part of the Constitution of India when it came into force in 1950. Since its inception, it remained one of the most debated constitutional provisions because it granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

On August 5, 2019, the provision was rendered inoperative, and Jammu and Kashmir was simultaneously reorganised into two separate Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh — bringing an end to its earlier constitutional status.

Guwahati, Aug 4: Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Tuesday assured flood-affected families of comprehensive government support, announcing that officials will undertake a door-to-door assessment of damaged households from August 9 to ensure that relief and rehabilitation benefits reach every eligible beneficiary.

Addressing inmates at a relief camp in Sivasagar district, one of the worst-affected areas in this year’s floods, Sarma said the state government is committed to standing by every affected family until normalcy is restored.

“We are taking feedback from every affected family to see if they have received relief and help. Starting from August 9, our teams will reach every home of the affected families to conduct a ground assessment of the damage,” the Chief Minister said.

He said the survey aims to verify the extent of losses suffered by families and ensure that rehabilitation assistance is provided in a transparent and timely manner.

“I want to assure every flood-affected family in Assam that in this difficult time, the government stands with them at every step. From rehabilitation to restoring life to normalcy, every possible assistance will be provided. Today, in a relief camp in Sivasagar, I reiterated this very resolve,” Sarma added.

The Chief Minister interacted with families staying at the relief camp and reviewed the availability of food, drinking water, healthcare and other essential services.

He also took stock of the ongoing relief operations and rehabilitation measures being carried out by the district administration.

Sivasagar has emerged as the worst-hit district in terms of fatalities during this year’s floods, prompting the state government to intensify relief and rehabilitation efforts in the region.

The Assam government has already initiated restoration of damaged infrastructure, distribution of relief materials and assessment of losses in several flood-affected districts.

Officials said the proposed household survey from August 9 will help prepare a comprehensive database of damages, enabling the administration to expedite compensation, rehabilitation and other forms of assistance for affected families.