Illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, the major problem of West Bengal

Dr Shyama Prasad Mookherjee, the creator of West Bengal:  As a matter of fact, Shyama Prasad Mookherjee was the creator of the state now called West Bengal. He carved out West Bengal from the then East Pakistan and East Punjab from West Pakistan. He was basically an educationist but the crisis of partition, more pointedly the partition of Bengal, brought him into politics. When the British accepted partition of India and creation of the new Islamic state of Pakistan, it was decided that the state or a Pradesh would be considered the smallest unit. Or in other words, a state with majority Muslim would go to Pakistan and a Hindu majority state would remain in the Indian Republic.

Figure: Decline of Hindu Population in West Bengal

The above figure illustrates the pace of this decline between 1951 and 2001. In 1991, Hindus constituted 75% of West Bengal population, which will come down to 70% in 2011. In 2034, the Hindu population will decline to 60%, and in 2051, it will dwindle to about 52%. In other words, entire West Bengal will become a Muslim-majority state in the next 40 years.

Illegal Bangladeshi immigrant’s threat to India, say court:

Expressing concern over the increasing number of illegal immigrants in the national capital, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday said they pose a danger to India's internal security, and dismissed a petition by a Bangladeshi national against her deportation.

Justice S L Bhayana dismissed Razia Begum's petition and upheld the Foreigners Regional Registration Office's (FRRO) decision to deport her and four of her family members back to Bangladesh.

“If someone is able to obtain a passport, ration card, election identification card and nationality certificate by illegal means, it doesn't meant that one is an Indian national, until and unless one gets his nationality through legal means,” court said.

Bangladeshi migrants giving cops the jitters:

Kerala police are losing sleep over the influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh. They arrested 20 illegal Bangladeshis from various labour camps in Thrissur district earlier this week and they suspect that more migrants are on the prowl, acting as agents for counterfeit Indian currency.

Thrissur superintendent of police (SP) Debesh Kumar Behera said they had arrested 20 persons from Bangladesh who did not have valid travel documents. "As per the information available with us, 30 persons have managed to flee to Ernakulam district and we have alerted the Aluva rural police," he said.

The officer said that they had interrogated the arrested in detail as these people were said to be carrying large quantity of Indian counterfeit currencies. "This is a serious internal security issue. There is a possibility that terrorists may use these people as their couriers and agents to carry out anti-national activities," the official said. 

Operation Pin Code and The Bangladeshi Immigrant Connection: The Ticking Time Bomb

The issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants is like a beehive. The moment you touch it, thousands of dissident voices will rise against you within the political circuit. Political parties cutting across regions—barring a few political parties– have been known to ignore this issue since decades due to vote bank politics and have been using these immigrants to influence the outcome of elections.

Though most of the Indian population would like to see the issue of illegal immigrants resolved; the situation is getting worse than ever. It is estimated that close to 1 Crore Bangladeshis are now officially missing from Bangladesh and are believed to be living in India, and their number seems to grow with each passing day, with a speculated 5-6 thousand Bangladeshis entering India illegally daily. Moreover, most of these infiltrators now have voter ID cards and ration cards; thereby rendering them nearly indistinguishable from the local populace.

Why Modi is right on the Bangladeshi migrants' issue

 The issue of Bangladeshi infiltrators is a vexed one. It evokes sharp reactions every time some reference is made to it by any leader. This time too when Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate, raised this issue during the election campaign scorn was poured on him.

Mamata Banerjee and some other political leaders on one side and Left and other intellectuals on the other have issued strong statements censuring Modi's views. While Mamata declared that she would protect and safeguard the interests of each and every infiltrator, the intellectuals called Modi's statement a grave danger to the minorities in India.

Bangladeshi Immigrants Vs Tibetian Migrants in India:

People of Tibet Thanks INDIA for allowing them to stay in our country for more than 50 Years
Whereas Bangladeshi illegal migrants are Looters, Spreading Communal Hatred, Violence, Thankless and moreover hoisting Pakistan Flag in our Country

Earlier, in 2003, then Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes had claimed that there were at least 20 million illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India & illegally bought Indian identity.

 

 

 

 

Resolving the Bangladesh Immigration Issue:

During campaigning in India’s recent elections, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime minister-designate Narendra Modi said that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh would have to leave the country if his party is voted into power. Since the BJP did in fact win the election, and with a record majority, how will Modi actually address the issue of illegal immigration? Many previous governments, including those of the BJP, have tried to deal with the issue, with very little success.

Amongst the initiatives adopted by the Indian government for recognizing illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, the most publicized is the Illegal Migrant Determination Tribunal (IMDT), which was established by Parliament in 1983. It was designed especially for Assam State, where the issue of illegal immigration has long been a cause of social and ethnic tension. Unfortunately, the IMDT did not perform as expected. From its inception in 1983 through to the 2000s, the tribunal identified a mere 10,000 illegal immigrants, and deported only 1,400. Considering its poor performance, the Supreme Court of India struck down the law in 2005 and required that the Foreigners Act of 1946 be enforced throughout India to deport illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Yet deportation under the Foreigners Act is also problematic. In 2003, the then Home Minister L. K. Advani ordered all states to deport illegal immigrants. A few weeks later 265 people were sent to the border, but authorities in Bangladesh declined to accept them. In fact India’s Border Security Forces (BSF), and its counterpart the Bangladesh Border Guards (then called the Bangladesh Rifles), came to the point of violence over the issue.

 

 

Bibliography:

1. Times of India , Nov 10, 2011

2.  ibnlive.in.com, Aug 12, 2008

3.  http://www.islam-watch.org/  Wednesday, 23 December 2009)

4. http://indiaspeaksnow.com/operation-pin-code-bangladeshi-immigrant-

         connection-ticking-time-bomb/

5.  http://www.rediff.com/news/column/ls-election-why-modi-is-right-on-the-

      bangladeshi-migrants-issue/20140513.htm

6.  http://www.supportindia.com/2012/08/25/bangladeshi-immigrants-vs-tibetian-

      migrants-in-india/

7.   http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Activists-and-High-Court-against-the-illegal- 

     detention-of-Bangladeshis-in-India-18417.html

8.  http://thediplomat.com/2014/05/india-resolving-the-bangladesh-immigration-

      issue