Infiltration

Assam's problem of foreign infiltration The Hindu immigrants generally gave their birth place correctly; but among the Muslims almost everyone gave his birth place as Assam. Those incorrect statements have reached such serious proportions that it is no longer possible for me to make any reliable conclusion from migration data and therefore the conclusions regarding Muslim. Those persons of undivided India who migrated to Assam or to any other part of India before July 19, 1948 were deemed to be Indian citizens. From July 19, 1948 up to the enactment of the Constitution of India on November 26, 1949, all migrants were granted Indian citizenship on application after six months residence in India. For the rest, Parliament had enacted the Citizenship Act making elaborate provisions for acquisition and termination of Indian Citizenship. In spite of these legal provisions, a steady flow of migrants from East Bengal to Assam continued unabated. So, with a view to stopping illegal infiltration, Parliament enacted on December 24, 1949 "The Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950. In the statement of objects and reasons of the Bill it was said that the stay of such persons or class of persons in Assam is detrimental to the interests of the general public of India or of any section thereof...." The tribal people of Assam have been the major victims from the migration of infiltrators from East Bengal. Close on the heel of the Bill being passed by Parliament, Pakistan started complaining whereupon discussions followed between Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India and Liaquat Ali Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan. On April 6, 1950 Nehru-Liaquat Pact was signed which provided for the return of the East Pakistan Muslims. This was taken advantage of in full measure by the East Pakistani Muslims who had earlier been pushed back from Assam. The whole purpose of the 1950 Act was defeated. Furtermore, the National Register of Citizens prepared in 1951 taking resort to the cover afforded by the Nehru-Liaquat Pact included as good citizens those of the East Pakistani Muslims whom the Act of 1950 described as foreign infiltrators and directed their expulsion but could not be expelled due to the Nehru-Liaquat Pact. Nehru became a party to this Pact mainly for two reasons:- (i) He wanted to show India was so secular that the Muslim and other religious minorities preferred India to their countries of origin ostensibly created on the basis of religion. Secondly, the Congress party of which Nehru was the Parliamentary leader had in the meantime struck an understanding with the Muslim religious leaders that the Muslim community would be a solid and stable vote bank for the Congress party. In October, 1952 was introduced the Passport Regulations and in 1955 was enacted the Citizenship Act, 1955. Travel between India and Pakistan was restricted. Such of the Pakistani Nationals as had come over to India and had decided to forsake their Pak nationality and take Indian citizenship was given the opportunity to do so. To facilitate this, the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1951 was formally withdrawn. The 1961 Census showed a 34.97 per cent increase of Assam's population against a national average of 21.64 per cent in the decade 1951-1961. The Census of 1961 estimated that not less than 7,50,000 East Pakistani Muslims infiltrated into Assam within the decade of 1951-1961. In 1965, the Prime Minister of India made a statement on the floor of the Lok Sabha to this effect on the basis of the reports of the Indian Intelligence Service. Late B.P. Chaliha, the then Chief Minister of Assam, however, estimated the influx at 3.50 lakh only. However, 10 tribunals were set up to hear the appeals the confirmed infiltrators. Thereafter in the year 1967, 1968 and 1969, 1.29 lakh infiltrators were expelled/deported from Assam.

Thereupon, 33 Congress Legislators belonging to the Muslim Community led by Moinul Haque Choudhury, Dev Kanta Barooah and Sarat Chandra Sinha demonstrated against the Chief Minister and said that if all expulsions of the alleged Muslim infiltrators be not stopped forthwith the Muslim block of Congress vote bank would be lost for ever. The liberation struggle of East Pakistan and formation of Bangladesh state resulted in increased infiltration of Muslims from that region to Assam. Shekh Mujibur Rahman openly said that Assam was the natural field for expansion of Bangladesh. During the period from March 25, 1971 and December 12, 1971 it is on record that more than 12 lakh people came over to Assam from East Pakistan and took shelter here with their relations, friends and acquaintances who had come over earlier. Most of them did not return. The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India vide Memo. No. 11/160/72-TX dated September 30, 1972 informed the Government of Assam that Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, had arrived at an understanding with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to the effect that such of the persons as had come over to India from erstwhile East Pakistan before March 25, 1971 shall not be deported. In the case of persons who had illegally entered India after March 25, 1971 the State government should prepare list and should forward the same to the Branch secretariat, External Affairs Ministry, Government of India at Calcutta in duplicate which would submit a list to the Deputy High Commissioner, Bangladesh at Calcutta to lease with him for their deportation. But no such deportation took place. In substance this amounted to the proposition that Articles 5 and 6 of the Constitution of India would have no relevance with regard to such infiltrators. Such Bangladeshi infiltrators to Assam became thus well-protected. Even in the case of infiltrators coming over to Assam after March 25, 1971 the Government of Bangladesh hold the right to determine and say whether or not such persons are their citizens. The process of the indigenous majority being relegated to the position of minority as practised in Tripura and Sikkim is being repeated in Assam. Failure to appreciate the problem of foreign infiltration to Assam may lead to dire consequences of dismembering Assam from the Indian Union and its incorporation in Bangladesh which has now become an Islamic State. In the alternative, there lurks the danger of creation of a separate "independent" NorthEastern State as was envisaged by the "Corpland Plan". Statistical Abstract India, 1972 published by the Government of India has shown the Decennial growth of population of North-East region of India which is a danger signal. It shows that the growth for India as a whole was 5.73 per cent in the decade of 1901 to 1911. By the decade of 1961 to 1971 it has gone up to 24.57 per cent. As against this, the growth in Assam has been from 16.84 per cent to 34.71 per cent. The growth in Manipur has been from 21.71 per cent to 37.53 per cent. The growth in Meghalaya has been from 15.71 per cent to 31.50 per cent. In Nagaland from 46.76 per cent in 1901-1911 it went down to 14.07 per cent in 1951-1961 and it went up to 39.85 per cent in the decade of 1961 to 1971. Nagaland figures are not very reliable due to the disturbed condition and absence of well-settled administration there. Moreover, Nagaland has not been experiencing the Bangladesh infiltration as acutely as Assam. In Tripura from the growth position of 32.48 per cent in the decade of 1901-1911 it shot up to 78.71 per cent in the decade of 1951-1961. In Tripura the saturation point was reached in the matter of immigration even before independence of the country and the indigenous Tripuri people became a minority and the Bengali migrants became the dominant and dominating factor. This led to violent resistance from the Tripura tribals and it is still continuing. There is a wrong notion in other parts of India that there is plenty of cultivable

waste land in Assam and in comparison with that the total population of the province and density of population per square mile is small. Yes, it was so in 1931 when as per the Census held on February 26, 1931, the total area of Assam was 67,334 sq. miles, the total population was 9,247,857 and density of population was 137 per sq. mile. But at present (as per 1991 Census) the total area of Assam is 78438 sq.km. The population is 2,24,14,000 and density of population per sq. km. is 286. In plains districts like Nalbari, Kamrup and Karimganj it is 450, 460, 457 respectively per sq. km. As against this, the density per sq. km. in West Bengal is 504, Bihar 324 and U.P. 300. The pressure on agricultural land in Assam is very high. There are about three lakhs of landless people in Assam. The continuous flow of Muslim infiltrators, who are mostly cultivators is, therefore, telling upon the economy of the State. Up till division of India on communal (religious) line that is, Bharat and Pakistan and thereby getting political independence for the country, the problem was politically simple. It was influx to Assam a part of India, of non-Assamese people from outside Assam but from within the territory of India. Overwhelming number of these immigrants was Bengali Muslims. But all the same, they were Indians. But after Independence the problem became very complicated in that henceforward unauthorised immigration became illegal foreign infiltration. Previously, it was provincial or regional problems. Now it has become a National Problem.