The Maharashtra government, in collaboration with IIT Bombay, is developing an artificial intelligence–based language verification tool designed to analyse speech patterns, tone and linguistic usage to help identify suspected illegal Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas in the state, officials familiar with the project said.
The AI system, being developed by the state’s information technology department under a ₹3-crore initiative, is intended to support law-enforcement agencies during preliminary identification. Officials clarified that the tool will serve only as an initial screening mechanism, with police required to conduct detailed nationality verification through documents thereafter.
Speaking at the launch of the Mahayuti manifesto on January 11, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “We’ll free Mumbai from Bangladeshis. We’ve deported the highest so far. With AI, we’ll identify and deport 100% Bangladeshis.”
Linguists note, however, that Bengali spoken in West Bengal and Bangladesh shares significant overlap in dialects, accents, vocabulary and pronunciation, as both belong to the same linguistic region that was politically divided. This similarity is particularly evident in border districts such as North 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad and Malda, where speech patterns naturally merge across regions. As a result, residents of West Bengal may be mistaken for Bangladeshi nationals based on language alone.
Despite these concerns, officials associated with the project said the AI system will rely on specific linguistic markers—including accent, tone and word choice—to differentiate Bangladeshi nationals from Bengali-speaking residents of West Bengal.
If the tool flags an individual as potentially not originating from West Bengal, enforcement agencies will then proceed with further investigation to establish nationality through documentary verification. The system is currently in the experimental stage.
“We have been working on it for the last three months and its reliability has reached about 60%. In the next six months, it will be foolproof and ready for use,” Fadnavis said, adding that the state government has also set up a detention centre to house such individuals prior to deportation.
The chief minister further claimed that illegal immigrants often enter the country through West Bengal, obtain forged documents, and then move to other parts of India while availing government welfare schemes.
