By Ashis Biswas
KOLKATA: The Muhammad. Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh may take a firm stand against Indian government for ‘pushing in’ hundreds of people without citizenship or other identity, into Bangladeshi territory : Dhaka’s recent letter to India on this issue, urging upon Delhi to follow standard operating procedures (SOP) regarding the repatriation of unwanted citizens,, had been too mild, according to Bangladeshi opinion makers. Bangladeshi official sources said that over 1500 people including women and children had been deported by India in recent weeks. However, according to unofficial accounts, over 2000 people had been pushed back from India to Bangladesh in recent weeks.
The low key reaction in Bangladesh to the Indian move without any consultation or co-ordination with Dhaka comes as a surprise. Officially, Bangladesh refuses to acknowledge that any of its citizens had illegally moved into India, sometimes with families, driven by economic pressures or facing religious persecution. During the tenure of the Awami League (AL) former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took the stand that no Bangladeshi had been living in India illegally.
However whenever Indian police or other authorities arrested a suspected infiltrator immigrant, he/she was brought before Bangladesh’s border guards and officials, who checked their records. Those who produced fake documents etc were arrested by Bangladeshis and taken to different interrogation centres or local jails.
In Delhi, Indian Border Security force (BSF) and other authorities have already confirmed the news, without mentioning the number of suspected illegal Bangladeshis actually sent back.. Following a recent GOI decision to trace out and, immediately deport Rohingyas and Bangladeshis living in India illegally, the (BSF) and state police authorities were involved in the operation.
Para military and police officials nowadays visited the houses of suspected illegal citizens or checked into local settlements, as they rounded up suspects. They were taken to different jails or other centres while their claims were checked. Later they were rounded up and flown by special planes to Tripura or West Bengal cities and airports, under guard and pushed out into ‘no man’ land’ near the international border. .
Informally, the state police sources admit that this somewhat rough and ready method was effective when dealing with illegal immigrants who had to be deported. A major problem in deporting infiltrators following due procedure and formalities, was that it mostly took between 4 and 5 years to complete a lengthy process between two concerned governments. And GOI had to pay the cost of the maintenance of the illegal aliens all this time!
However, there have occurred some grievous mistakes already, as the BSF/state police have gone about their work. In their over enthusiasm, local authorities have often mistaken Bengali Muslims who were residents of Malda or Murshidabad, for Bangladeshis and actually pushed them out of India. It is not easy for non Bengali officials to recognise the differences between the various East Bengali and West Bengali accents or speaking styles. The Bangladeshi press, as was expected, had reported such mistakes committed by GOI authorities in great detail. They also attributed such blunders to the religious anti Muslim prejudices, as they put it, among a section of the BJP-ruled administration. (IPA Service)
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