By Ashis Biswas
KOLKATA: Bangladesh is seriously concerned over the lack of official response from Narendra Modi Government regarding the latter’s drive to deport suspected ‘illegal’ Bangladeshi settlers from Indian territory. Authorities representing the interim Bangladeshi government headed by Dr. M. Yunus, Chief Adviser, have already written to India protesting against what it alleged to be an arbitrary move not defensible in law.
Dhaka-based officials said that the controversial ‘push-ins’ have continued without any response from India, although reminders had been duly sent by Bangladesh authorities.
Meanwhile, it remains difficult to work out the exact number of people sent back to Bangladesh so far. In India, the Border Security Force (BSF), various state police and intelligence officials, while confirming the drive to trace out and deport suspected infiltrators to the media, do not reveal the specific number of people affected by such operations.
However sections of the Indian media reported about two weeks ago that around 2000 people had been deported till then. Bangladesh officials, speaking to local media persons, have reported handing over to India around 200 people who were actually Indians! These people, including families, were allowed to re-enter India by the BSF and concerned Indian officials.
The push-in of ‘aliens, or the summary deportation of suspected illegal settlers who had moved into India somehow from Bangladesh or Myanmar , began some days ago. Indian authorities instructed a few states to step up the detection and arrest of suspected Bangladeshis, especially those living in the major cities in Maharashtra, Haryana and other states. In some areas in greater Delhi and elsewhere, where Bangladeshis and displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar have made their home searches were made and the Muslims speaking Bengali, were taken for deportation without thoroughly checking the documents.
While it has been easy for the authorities to immediately round up those without proper documentation to prove their Indian citizenship, problems arose when some people managed to produce legal documents like the Aadhaar card,, ration card or voter identity papers. .
Interestingly, while very few Hindus have been pushed out so far, the brunt of official suspicion targeted the Muslims. Except a handful of Rohingyas who were arrested by the police, almost a third of the people thrown out turned out to be West Bengali Muslims from Malda, Murshidadad or Nadia! Kolkata-based media houses as well as the Bangladeshi press have carried detailed accounts of their acute harassment and rough treatment from the BSF and other concerned agencies,
Bangladesh authorities have pointed out that well known SOPs (Standard operating procedures) have been worked out over the years between the two countries. Bangladesh usually accepts responsibility for its own citizens during such operations, after thoroughly interrogating people pushed out by India and checking their background with local authorities. They have appealed to India to resort to such SOPs as before, to avoid misunderstandings in future.
On the Indian side , there has been a counter argument about normal legal proceedings, which keep the authorities engaged for years ,during which time those arrested have to be settled in large centres and dutifully looked after which eats up valuable national resources of the reluctant host countries, which are not exactly prosperous themselves . Meanwhile, even as the disputes go on, the phenomenon of infiltration continues!
Broadly speaking, such summary practices by Indian authorities involving much avoidable suffering of extremely poor people with disastrous impact on their livelihoods , have been strongly criticised in the Western mass media as well as in West Asian countries. As usual, the alleged distrust of Muslims on part of the ruling NDA Government has been seen as the main reason, without reference to problems of governance, national security and related matters,
Suggestions have also been heard from some quarters in the West that India might have been encouraged to opt for a more direct, if ruthless, approach towards illegal immigrants .following the recent example set by president Donald Trump in the US. in dealing with illegal immigration. (IPA Service)
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