With the Centre issuing notification for the implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) paving the way for grant of citizenship to non-Muslim migrants – from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan – who came to India before December 31, 2014, it has triggered jubilation in Odisha’s coastal pockets among non-Muslim Bangladeshi infiltrators.
The Bengali-speaking settlers, some of them were earlier branded as Bangladeshis, living in seaside villages of Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Balasore district are ecstatic as news flashed through the television channels that the Union Government issued CAA notification.
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It’s a new lease of life for Bangla settlers, who bear the ignominy of foreign national tag. It has instilled a sense of security among the Bengali settlers who were living under constant fear of being branded as Bangldeshis and faced deportation threat, remarked Bijoy Shukla, vice chairman, Mahakalapada Panchayat Samiti in Kendrapara district.
As many as 1551 people from Kendrapara district were officially tagged as Bangladeshis and were served quit India notice in 2005.
Now the deportation fear is over with the notification of CAA, said an ex-Sarpanch, Narayan Haldar.
Similar joyous moods were witnessed in other coastal districts, home to Bangla infiltrators.
The Bengali speaking people are bona fide citizens of the country. They were often clubbed as Bangladeshis because of common language with people of the neighbouring country. It’s a huge sigh of relief for us.
Some people here have been enumerated as Bangladeshis though they were not served ‘quit India’ notice. We all are feeling relieved. We are proud Indians. Nobody could now raise questions on our domicile status and nationality, said a cross section of people from Jagatsinghpur district, with a tinge of joy.
The Union Government’s record-books say Odisha is home to 3,987 Bangladeshis infiltrators. However several lakhs Bengali-speaking migrant people are firmly ensconced in several parts of the State.
