Refugees in India
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India has seen large influx of refugee populations throughout history.
Refugees from Greater Iran
According to Zoroastrian legend (see Qissa-i Sanjan), a few centuries after the conquest of the Sassanid state and the subsequent collapse of Zoroastrianism as a state-sponsored religion, at least one group of Zoroastrians eventually migrated to what is now the Indian state of Gujarat to maintain their Zoroastrian religious tradition. Although this 16th/17th century legend is taken at face value by the majority of the Parsis, persecution was not yet a significant issue at the time of migration (11th century at the latest). Given that the same legend observes that they migrated from Sanjan (in present-day Turkmenistan), the decline of silk road trade in favour of sea-route trade makes it equally likely that their immigration was economically motivated. For details, see Parsi history.
Although isolated groups of Zoroastrians may be presumed to have immigrated between the 12th and 16th centuries, due to persecution (for instance, the Mughal emperor Akbar encouraged relocation of skilled Iranians—irrespective of their religion). Immigration of Zoroastrians for socio-religious reasons is only again documented during Iran's Qajar era (1794-1925) when persecution of non-Muslims was rampant and by which time the Indian Zoroastrians had established special funds to assist their Iranian co-religionists. The descendants of these newer immigrants are known as Iranis.
Partition of India
Massive population exchanges occurred between the two newly-formed nations in the months immediately following Partition. Once the lines were established, about 14.5 million people crossed the borders to what they hoped was the relative safety of religious majority. Based on 1951 Census of displaced persons, 7.226 million Muslims went to Pakistan from India while 7.249 million Hindus and Sikhs (and very small amounts of Muslims) moved to India from Pakistan immediately after partition. About 11.2 million or 78% of the population transfer was on the west, with Punjab accounting for most of it; 5.3 million Muslims moved from India to West Punjab in Pakistan, 3.4 million Hindus and Sikhs moved from Pakistan to East Punjab in India; elsewhere in the west 1.2 million moved in each direction to and from Sind. The initial population transfer on the east involved 3.5 million Hindus moving from East Bengal to India and only 0.7 million Muslims moving the other way.
Tibetan refugees
Following in the footsteps of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama more than 150,000 Tibetan refugees have fled to India during the past 50 years. Armed forces of the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China entered Tibet in 1950 and began consolidation of control over Tibet during the reign of the young 14th Dalai Lama. A flash point came in March 1959 when Chinese forces tried to disperse a crowd in front of the Norbulingka palace where the Dalai Lama was staying. Consequently, due to the desperate situation of bloodshed in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, and a suspected coup attempt on the Dalai Lama by the Chinese army, the Dalai Lama fled to India. He was followed by about 80,000 Tibetan refugees.
The Dalai Lama sought asylum in India. After a series of discussions between the Dalai Lama and Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Indian Prime Minister, who agreed to provide all assistance to the Tibetan Refugees to settle in India until their eventual return (as was visualized at that time). Accordingly the Government of Mysore (as Karnataka state was called at that time) allotted nearly 3,000 acres (12 km2) of land at Bylakuppe in Mysore district in Karnataka in 1960 and the first ever Tibetan exile settlement, Lugsung Samdupling came into existence in 1961. A few years later another settlement, Tibetan Dickey Larsoe, also called TDL, was established. This was followed by the establishment of three more settlements in Karnataka state making it the state with the largest Tibetan refugee population. Rabgayling settlement was created in Gurupura village near Hunsur, Dhondenling was established at Oderapalya near Kollegal and Doeguling settlement came into being at Mundgod in Uttara Kannada district, all in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. The Bir Tibetan Colony was established in Bir, Himachal Pradesh.
After that more and more Indian states provided land for Tibetan refugees. The government of India built special schools for Tibetans that provide free education, health care and scholarships for those students who excel in school. There are a few medical and civil engineering seats reserved for Tibetans.
Tibetans live in India with a stay permit which is processed through a document called Registration Certificate (RC). It is renewed every year. In some areas it is renewed every six months. Every Tibetan refugee above the age of 16 must register for the stay permit. However, a RC is not issued to new arrival refugees, which makes life hard and precarious for them.
For Tibetans to travel abroad, the government of India issues another document called the "Yellow Book", which is an Identity Certificate. Without a RC, the Yellow Book cannot be processed. It is therefore, proving extremely difficult for new refugees to cope with their stateless position. The Yellow Book, moreover, takes one year to process. In some cases, it may take two years before it is acquired.
The Dalai Lama established the Tibetan government-in-exile in India. It is based in Dharamshala in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The exile government looks after the welfare of the Tibetans in India, coordinates socio-political activities of the Tibetans around the world and leads the Tibetan movement for a Free Tibet and movements for the protection of Tibet's environment.
At present the population of Tibetan refugees in India is estimated to be around 120,000.
Refugees from East Pakistan and Bangladesh
During the Bangladesh Liberation War, the Bangladesh-India border was opened to allow Bengalis fleeing genocide by the Pakistan Army's SSG units safe shelter in India. The governments of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura established refugee camps along the border. As the massacres in East Pakistan escalated an estimated 10 million refugees fled to India causing financial hardship and instability in that country.
Afghan refugees
More than 60,000 Afghan refugees came to India[citation needed] in the years following the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan which India supported. The Indian government does not officially recognise them as refugees, but has allowed the UNHCR to operate a programme for them.[citation needed]