Beside a hot, dusty road in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas, near the Hakimpur BSF border post, a surprising scene unfolds. Families, men, and children with small bags wait silently under a giant banyan tree, repeating a simple plea: "Let us go home." These are undocumented Bangladeshis who have lived for years in West Bengal but now want to return. Since early November, security and local people in South Bengal say many illegal Bangladeshi nationals have started heading back across the border. This is a rare reverse migration directly tied to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls happening in West Bengal. One woman, Shahin Bibi from Khulna, worked as a domestic helper near Kolkata. She said, "I came because we were poor. I have no proper documents. Now, I want to return to Khulna. That is why I am here." She used to earn Rs 20,000 a month, shared a room with friends, and sent money home regularly. Many people admitted they got Aadhaar, ration cards, or voter IDs through middlemen while in West Bengal. Now, with the SIR checking old documents, many prefer leaving over risking questionings or detention. A young waiter said, "No more staying here. If they check old papers, we cannot show anything. Better to leave before they ask questions." People from places like New Town, Birati, Dhulagori, and Howrah's industrial areas are leaving. Some have lived here over ten years; others came recently. BSF officials confirm the rush. Every day, 150 to 200 people are caught and sent back after checks. The line started growing from November 4, when SIR began. A BSF officer told PTI, "We cannot assume everyone here is simply returning home. Verification is mandatory. Biometric data is sent to district police. That takes time." So, people wait for two or three days outside the outpost, sleeping on plastic sheets or under stopped trucks. BSF feeds those inside, but those outside rely on roadside food stalls or local charity. Men from Satkhira said they paid Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 to enter West Bengal with fake papers before. One man, Manirul Sheikh, said he paid Rs 20,000 for documents. "Everyone knew which middleman to approach. But, SIR changed everything. Now, people want to leave before the checking catches up." Imran Gazi, another migrant, said quietly, "I voted in 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024. But, I have no papers from 2002. Hence, I am leaving." Local police are stressed. One officer said, "We had 95 detainees in two days. No station can hold so many. We stopped taking custody after that." A six-year-old girl waiting said to her mother, "I will miss my friends in New Town." Her mother, carrying a newborn, said they paid 25,000 Bangladeshi taka last year to cross the border. Her husband, a rickshaw puller, said, "We came because we were poor. Now, we have to go because we are afraid." Shopkeepers hope for peace soon. A Hakimpur Traders' Association member said, "Let Delhi, Dhaka and Kolkata fight their political battles. These people should not be suffering on the road." SIR has stirred political fights ahead of West Bengal’s 2026 elections. The BJP says the TMC allowed huge infiltration for votes, while the state government claims the Centre uses SIR to scare poor communities. At the border, a semi-blind man who came 18 years ago to get treatment and sang in trains said softly, "I want to go back and sing again in Bangladesh. But, I do not know if they will accept us after so long." Officials say around 1,200 people returned to Bangladesh after formal checks in six days. Nearly 60 were still waiting on Saturday. As the sun set behind barbed fences, a BSF soldier said, "They came in the dark before. Now they leave in daylight, through the proper channel. That is the difference." For those resting under the banyan tree, clutching small bags and wrapping their kids against the cold, SIR is no longer just an admin task. It has become a push to leave behind borrowed names, papers, and years of uncertain lives.