Nearly two years after it was first proposed, Mumbai’s first “sthandbadhata kendra” (detention centre) has become operational in Bhoiwada, central Mumbai, and currently houses around 40 Bangladeshi nationals awaiting deportation.
The centre had remained unused until recently due to a bureaucratic deadlock over its management, even as police struggled to accommodate detainees who could not be lodged in jails as they were not facing criminal charges.
In 2025 alone, police claimed that they detained and deported over 1,000 individuals whom they called Bangladeshi nationals, many of whom were temporarily kept in police station rooms.
Operational since March 26, the facility, capable of housing nearly 80 people, has been taken over by the Social Welfare department, with security provided by the Maharashtra State Security Force inside the premises and a police guard stationed outside.
The two-storey building has 20 rooms on each floor, equipped with bunk beds, and has been divided into separate sections for men and women, with a capacity for 60 men and 20 women. Officials said detainees will remain at the centre until they are transported to the Indo-Bangladesh border for deportation, and that basic facilities such as food, bathrooms, and bedding have been provided.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.
