KOLKATA: West Bengal has the highest number of foreign prisoners in India, accounting for 2,508, or 36%, of the total 6,956 foreign inmates nationwide, as reported in the ‘Prison Statistics of India 2023’ by the National Crime Records Bureau.
According to the data, 89% of the foreign nationals detained in West Bengal’s correctional homes, predominantly Bangladeshis, have been prosecuted for illegally entering the country. Foreigners represent 9% of the total prison population in West Bengal, which stands at 25,774 inmates. Among the Bangladeshis incarcerated in the state, there are 778 convicts and 1,440 undertrials. Myanmar ranks second in the number of foreign prisoners in West Bengal, with most undertrials aged between 18 and 30.
In the realm of convictions, the state currently houses 796 foreign convicts, of whom 204 are women. Additionally, there are 12 transgender individuals among these convicts. The only women’s prison in the state has an occupancy rate of 110.2%.
The prolonged detention of undertrials has raised concerns. In 2023, 1,499 foreign nationals were classified as undertrials. Legal experts point to several factors contributing to this rise, including the inability to afford legal representation, the lack of jurisdiction benches, and already burdened trial courts.
A senior state official commented on the challenges of deportation: “Illegal Bangladeshi detainees are pushed back on the orders of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office. In Bengal, however, deportation remains abysmally low, despite our repeated pleas.”
West Bengal has a considerable segment of the India-Bangladesh border—over half of the 4,906 km—which has contributed to the high number of foreign prisoners. The overcrowding in the state’s prisons is a pressing issue, with an occupancy rate of 120% in 2023. Currently, 60 prisons in the state, which have a total capacity of 21,476, are accommodating 25,774 inmates, including both nationals and foreigners.
In the population of undertrials, there are 371 women and nine transgender persons among the 1,499 foreign inmates.
