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Bangladeshis in India

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Bangladeshis in India refers to the Bangladeshi diaspora who currently reside in India. The census carried out in 2001 by the Indian government which based the its findings on place of birth and place of last residence estimated there were 3.1 million Bangladeshis residing in India.[1] As of 2009 it was estimated that there were 15 million Bangladeshis who have taken residence in the country.[2] In 2007 the Indian government estimated that there were up to 20 million Bangladeshis living in India illegally. This mass migration has lead to the creation of anti foreigner movements, instances of mass violence, political tension between Bangladesh and India and has also created benefits economically for both nations.[3]

Pre partition - 1970s

Before the Partition of India internal migration was commonplace between the region which is now Bangladesh and the regions of Assam and West Bengal. While under colonial rule Assam was sparsely populated and the British, who wanted to exploit the resources from the region wished to see it settled. Through internal migration labour was brought from the northern regions of India, West Bengal and the region which now comprises Bangladesh.[4]

During the Bangladesh liberation war it is estimated that up to 10 million people fled from East Pakistan to India so as to escape the genocidal actions being carried out by the West Pakistan armed forces.[5] There were outbreaks of Cholera throughout the refugee camps, the World health organization estimated 51,000 cases and it is estimated that 3000 people died from the disease.[6]

1980s - modern age

In 1983, the discovery on the electoral rolls, of an estimated forty-five thousand Bengali illegal immigrants led to the creation of the Assam Movement.[7] The movement culminated in the 1983 Nellie massacre which has been described as one the largest and most severe pogroms since the Second World War with an estimated death toll of 5000, the majority of which were women and children as a result of the actions of the Assam Movement.[8][9] One reason cited for this incident is that it resulted from a buildup of resentment over immigration.[10] The Assam movement insisted on striking the names of illegal immigrants from the electoral register and their deportation from the state. There was widespread support for the movement which tapered off between 1981 and 1982. The movement demanded that anyone who had entered the state illegally since 1951 be deported, the central government however insisted on a cutoff date of 1971. Towards the end of 1982 the central government called elections and the movement called for people to boycott it, which lead to the widespread violence.[11] Since the incident no investigation has ever been launched.[12] The massacre stands as a testament that the All Assam Students Union(AASU) had left behind the economic reasons for the protests and the non violent methods they had employed up until then, and that they had become influenced by religious politics. The AASU denied any involvement in the massacre and ensured that there were no further instances of organized violence after the incident at Nellie, and since then there have been no instances of communal violence in Upper Assam.[13]

References

  1. ^ Chhabra, Amit Pal Singh (2011). Daphne Halkias, Paul Thurman, Nicholas Harkiolakis, Sylva Caracatsanis (ed.). Female Immigrant Entrepreneurs: The Economic and Social Impact of a Global Phenomenon. Gower. p. 25. ISBN 978-0566089138. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
  2. ^ Rudnick, Anja (2009). Working Gendered Boundaries: Temporary Migration Experiences of Bangladeshi Women in the Malaysian Export Industry from a Multi-Sited Perspective. Amsterdam University Press. pp. 49–51. ISBN 978-9056295608.
  3. ^ Gupta, Charu (2007). Contested Coastlines: Fisherfolk, Nations and Borders in South Asia. Routledge. p. 148. ISBN 978-0415449052. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Sadiq, Irvine Kamal (2010). Paper Citizens: How Illegal Immigrants Acquire Citizenship in Developing Countries (Reprint ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 38–39. ISBN 978-0199764631.
  5. ^ Mitra, Subrata K. (2010). Politics in India: Structure, Process and Policy. Routledge. p. 191. ISBN 978-0415585880.
  6. ^ Scully, Mary-Louise (2007). George C. Kohn (ed.). Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence: From Ancient Times to the Present (3rd Revised ed.). Facts On File. p. 170. ISBN 978-0816069354.
  7. ^ Rudolph, Christopher (2010). Rogers M. Smith (ed.). Citizenship, Borders, and Human Needs. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 241. ISBN 978-0812242836. About forty-five thousand Bengali illegal immigrants on the electoral rolls. By voting and behaving as full citizens, these illegal immigrants had clearly breached the conceptual wall separating immigrants and citizens. Further, because they had obtained the "proper" documentation no-one questioned their claim to citizenship and thus these "documentary citizens" were able to access the national franchise. Without naturalisation and authentication from the state, illegal Bangladeshi immigrants had gained Indian citizenship
  8. ^ Ghosh, Partha S. (2004). Ranabir Samaddar (ed.). Peace Studies: An Introduction To the Concept, Scope, and Themes. SAGE. p. 312. ISBN 978-0761996606. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)
  9. ^ Hussain, Monirul (1). Sibaji Pratim Basu (ed.). The Fleeing People of South Asia: Selections from Refugee Watch. Anthem. p. 261. ISBN 978-8190583572. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Datta, Antara (2012). Refugees and Borders in South Asia: The Great Exodus of 1971. Routledge. p. 183. ISBN 978-0415524728.
  11. ^ Chatterji, Joya (2013). Meghna Guhathakurta, Willem van Schende (ed.). The Bangladesh Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Duke University Press. p. 418. ISBN 978-0822353188.
  12. ^ Saikia, Yasmin (2011). Women, War, and the Making of Bangladesh: Remembering 1971. Duke University Press. pp. 263–264. ISBN 978-0822350385.
  13. ^ Saikia, Yasmin (2005). Fragmented Memories: Struggling to be Tai-Ahom in India. Duke University Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0822333739.
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