‘Language gives them away’: RSS chief says citizens could ‘detect and report’ foreigners

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said that citizens could “detect and report illegal infiltrators” to the authorities, remarking that their “language gives them away”.

The RSS is the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Bhagwat was speaking at an event in Mumbai to mark the organisation's centenary. He did not specify which language he was referring to.

However, since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the police in several states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party have been detaining Bengali-speaking persons – mostly Muslims – and asking them to prove that they are Indian citizens.

Several persons have been forced into Bangladesh after they allegedly could not prove their Indian citizenship. In some cases, persons who were mistakenly sent to Bangladesh returned to the country after state authorities in India proved that they were Indians.

On Sunday, the RSS chief said that while the government “has a lot to do regarding infiltrations”, citizens should “inform the police that we suspect these people are foreigners, and they should investigate and keep an eye on them, and we will also keep an eye on them”.

He also said that detection and deportation of suspected foreigners has “started little by little, and it will gradually increase”.

“When the census or the SIR [special...

Read more