A Hindu family detained at Dhalai district of Tripura on December 7, has expressed alleged security concerns with authorities and is now seeking a way to permanently reside in India. After being caught around Ambassa railway station, the family told TOI that they faced emerging challenges after the fall of Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh, and thus they chose “unauthorized migration” as a solution.
The family reached Tripura via Kamalpur; and was heading towards the planned destination via Silchar-bound train when police tracked and found them. Taking action, authorities sent three minors to juvenile home, in the meantime other 7 members were interrogated and incarcerated on the spot.
CAA: A Tool For Hindu Bangladeshi Migrants
Sudhir Sarkar (70), oldest person of the group, told TOI that the Citizenship Amendment Bill of 2019 is their only hope to become Indian citizens because it promises to provide nationality to different migrants from neighboring countries.
“Nobody wants to leave his or her birthplace. But if a situation has arisen where a Hindu family from Bangladesh is forced to seek refuge in India, the Indian administration should deal with it sympathetically” said Sudhir.
It’s significant to note that the Citizenship Amendment Bill of 2019 aims to grant citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Christains, Parsis and Jains from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014 but it does not include Muslims. In the month of May, around 300 such outsiders were granted citizenship by the Indian government. On the other hand, around 200 petitions against the discriminatory bill still await a rational response from the court.
“We Shall Never Return”
Sankar Chandra who is a driver by profession and provider to the family of 10, complained about facing alleged discrimination. The family sold their properties and left everything in Kishoreganj to reach India.
“We shall never return, even if the situation stumbles back to normalcy, because at any time, the situation may deteriorate,” he said to The Assam Tribune.
He said that they are very common people who mostly depend on menial work to survive, thus they did not have spare possessions and the decision was quite easy. Sankar Chandra said that he was planning to settle down in the Silchar area via prearranged contacts. A rental property was already booked in advance via an unrecognized network.
