I hail from a place in India, where the Bengal reaches out to Bihar and the Bihar reaches out to the Bengal. You must be mapping your mind to find my place of birth and my place of belonging? Let me help you and throw a light to this place. This place, where I belong and where my soul resides is Kishanganj. It is a border area surrounded by Nepal at one side and Bangladesh at the other side. Although surrounded by two different countries it is a peaceful, quiet place.
Since my growing up years or from the time I have gained my conscious and my memory lasts I have witnessed many Bangladeshi refugees settling in Kishanganj and its adjoining districts namely North Dinajpur of West Bengal. I have been told that they migrated from Bangladesh during the Indo-Pak war when Bangladesh was born. Even after the creation of Bangladesh the influx of these Bangladeshis to Indian borders continued till late 1990s. There was a mass exodus of Bangladeshis to the Indian Territory after the Babri Mosque demolition because of the disturbances over there or you can say counter response. You must be assuming that they all must be Muslims as projected by Indian media. No they are not Muslims, 99% of them are Hindus, living in Indian Territory as refugees, intruders or self acclaimed Indian nationals. They are not few in numbers but might be several hundred thousand. We have shared everything with them and are living together with them peacefully from the time they arrived. They have flourished and are leading a more healthy life than the actual inhabitants. Even my Hindu friends and brethren from Kishanganj and Uttar Dinajpur can’t deny this fact.
If somebody doubts me then I can show them their settlements. These districts where they dwell has never witnessed any riots, violence .In fact these places are the best example of inter-community tolerance and brotherhood. Nevertheless, these districts are minority dominated. The other districts in this region where Hindu Bangladeshi migrants have been settled for years are Dakhsheen Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri , Koch Bihar, Darjeeling, Maldah, Murshidabad, Katihar and Purnea. Their actual number might be in millions. You can know ponder over who is venomizing the brotherhood and peaceful coexistence of two different communities. It is our political leaders who treat us as Vote bank.
Often BJP, Shiv Sena, RSS and Narendra Modi use the rhetoric that Bangladeshis must prepare to leave the country after 16th May. My question to them and all the readers reading this is will BJP/RSS/Shiv Sena will chase away these settlements /colonies to Bangladesh? Or they will be spare them because they suits their interest? Is religious identity more important or the problem of intruders, refugees, migrants or the peaceful coexistence is more important? Whatever may be the selfish interest of these leaders i feel proud to belong to my place.
The recent massacre in Assam where many Muslims were killed, and told to flee, are often deemed as ‘illegal Bangladeshi migrants’ even though most of these migrants (as well as the Santhals) settled in these regions before India or Bangladesh were formed. Two days before 50 Muslims including women, children and toddlers were killed mercilessly for not apparently voting for the local dominant party, in Bodoland in Assam in north eastern India. This massacres like many, was not spontaneous but rather organized. Indian Media which has always veiled the fact or forced to do by their handlers (political parties). The two major parties of India congress and BJP are doing cheap politics over this incident and playing the blame game.
The biggest irony is that some of the BJP and RSS cadres are celebrating these killings and writing about it as an achievement openly in social media. For Hindu rightwing, Muslims has always been a foreigner, none of the culprits responsible for it has been arrested .So far neither the CM of Assam has been sacked by the ruling Congress party at center.
All we can hope is fewer lives to be lost, for the situation to calm down and violence to subside. Justice in India is mostly elusive so far minorities are concerned. Have people of my country lost its moral consciousness? I feel we are paying heavy dividends in this process of strengthening Democracy,
Only a social revolution can bring us together in heart and can bring the peace to my Country, India.
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(Dr. Mumtaz Naiyer is postdoctoral scientist at University of Southampton,UK)
A brilliant piece for Dr. Mumtaz Naiyer. Thanks for bringing out the truth before all.
You are wrong and using a anecdotal experience to generalise it…it is evident that had it been majority Hindus, BJP would have been the last party since it would try to woo it … now let us come to comethng concrete and measurable…muslims population according to census has increased disproportionately and alarmingly in Bengal…Moreover the increase in muslim populaton has been more in the bordering areas than remote areas…this is a basic principle of what is commonly know in chemistry as diffusion…A very standard and well undersood process…Thirdly, it has been reported in Bangladesh population census that more than 1 crore muslims are missing in their 10 year census calculations and that is only between 2000 and 2010.
Most metros are flooded with Bangladeshis these days who drive rickshaws and more than half of those from bangladeshis are muslims…this is my anecdotal experience…
Everything but your anecdotal experience is pointing to huge muslim influx from Bangladesh over last 30 odd years.
I however do understand that the bigger design of islam is to have a darul-ul-islam in india and i guess you are active participant in it, because had you been thinking like an ordinary person, you would have clearly see the huge economic impact of influx of foreign nationals, as i do, even as i am strictly with you that even Hindu bangladeshis should be pushed back..since this country is not for getting consumed by foreigners regardless of their religious affiliations…I work hard to generate tax for this country and the doles are released to foreigners(Muslims or Hindus )whoever they may be
and that irks me.
IC you’re very sure of your negative propaganda which is a big joke..Muslim population has increased with a birth rate of 3.1 compared to a Hindu of 2.8 so yes that difference is there .Yes Bangladeshis have been entering India to find jobs like Nepalis neither less nor more.With a friendly government in Bangladesh New Delhi has already a Border pact in place .Its the BJP that is creating hurdles in the way of of division of Teesta waters and villages which are half in India and half in Bangladesh .Many poor are not even aware of the political divisions so while no such bigotry is shown to Nepali and Tibetans Bangladeshis deserve to be murdered even though their nation was created by India’s help.They must already be regretting choosing India over Pakistan or even Bengali over Urdu .Can’t you understand what is in India’s best national interest..it is to work with the Bangladeshi government and its people and resolve border issues through talks and not through murder…by the way its Bodos who have been agitating for a separate homeland from India not bengali Muslims and by the way very few Bodos are Hindus
Muslims were less than 9% in 1947 and today they are close to 20%. Work out the maths and do not try to fool people.
I do not care about what religion Bodos have…I am an atheist myself(yes a kafir)..and I am not applauding Bodos for killing people(if that is what you thought).
oh IC Brother we found here that RSS is trying thier all the best against muslims, whereever they are found that muslim is coming in majority and gaining power they trying to stop our gaining wealth with help of BJP in parliment and outsider by voilent, its totally failure of congress by which reason muslims massacare in almost all state of India from 1947 to till date.
Any proofs???
Thank you for writing this informative article. May God Bless !
Even for the sake of argument, if killing foreigners in a country is justified, than why do we protest when an Australian kill or abuse an Indian.
Lots and lots of Indian live in outside from malaysia, Indonesia, africa, middle east, europe America………will their killing be justified, on the name of foreigner ?????
they hv not gone illegaly there and not creating loot, dakaiti. terorism etc in those countries as bangladeshi muslims r doing in india and they are crores & crores. if all the muslims countries r poor and jahil and kahil due to their religius acts why shud we bear them. they r eating our jobs, land etc etc. moreover muslims allover the world r indulging in terorism then why shud we allow them in our country as all the muslims hv one metalty