Amid apprehensions of possible influx of illegal immigrants from trouble-torn Bangladesh, the Odisha government is contemplating undertaking a survey on Bangladeshi infiltrators staying in the state with bonafide proof of Indian nativity.
Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said on Sunday that the state has provided the right to stay registered refugees from across the border after they became victims of religious persecution in the then East Pakistan and liberated Bangladesh. Besides, Bangla infiltrators are also illegally staying here and they have been identified.
There are reports of more Bangladeshi immigrants who have infiltrated to the State for earning livelihood over the years with no visa or work permit. The exercise to identify the illegal settlers will be undertaken shortly for security reasons, he said.
After they are identified, the State will move to the Centre for their deportation under the provisions of the foreigners act, he added.
Stating that the State is yet to record a single case of infiltration of Bangladeshi in the aftermath of anti-government violence in the neighbouring country, he said “the government has stepped up security in joint coordination of State marine police, coast guard and navy to thwart sea-route infiltration. Besides, vigil is stepped up in Bengal-bordering district to stop road-route immigration”.
As many as 1551 people from Kendrapara district were officially tagged as Bangladeshis and were served quit India notice in 2005.
In the aftermath of religious persecution, Bangla nationals have infiltrated to Odisha before and after India attained independence. The scale of infiltration to the State had become more pronounced during the Bangla liberation war in 1971. As per the refugee resettlement policy of the Centre by the then Government, as many as 1,57,432 Bangladeshi settlers have been rehabilitated in 11 districts of the State and they are enjoying the rights that Indian citizens are entitled to.
Malkangiri district, located on the southern tip of the State, is home 1,04,233 Bangla refugees followed by 46,848 in Nabarangpur, 4,653 in Khurda, 441 in Kendrapara, 379 in Jajpur, 304 in Rayagada, 200 in Bhadrak, 194 in Koraput, 90 in Kalahandi, 75 in Balasore and 15 in Angul.
Besides, there are 3,740 infiltrators in Odisha and all of them are from Bangladesh. They currently reside in Bargarh, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur districts besides in Bhubaneswar.
It may be recalled here that 1,711 Bangladeshis from coastal Odisha were served ‘quit India’ notice in 2005 in accordance with foreigners act provision. However the exercise to deport them was put on hold by the Centre amid allegations of wrongful identification of the suspected foreign nationals.
However 21 Bangladeshi nationals have been deported to their country under foreigners Act prior to 2005, said an official.
The Government’s record-books say Odisha is home to 3,740 Bangladeshis infiltrators. However it is widely believed that more than one lakh Bengali-speaking migrant people, in all probability from Bangladesh, are still firmly ensconced in several parts of the State. If the identification of illegal immigrants is stepped up, the number of infiltrators staying in Odisha will shoot up exponentially, confided an official.