Indian exclave residents who want to leave Bangladesh are allegedly being forced to remain. It is also alleged that the survey committee intentionally left out a number of people who wish to leave for India.
A resident of Dasiar Chhara in Kurigram, Mizanur Rahman Mizan alleged that people were being forced to stay back and those who wanted to leave were in fact being threatened by members of the local co-ordination committee.
“Many are scared to even get their names on the list of people who intend to leave,” said Mizan. “They were threatened against doing anything like that.”
Moreover, those who did get themselves on the list are now being harassed with fake cases.
“I want to go to India as there is lot of work,” said Mizan. The survey committee members from Bangladesh tried to convince us that the government would provide facilities including roads, schools, hospitals and power supply. “But what would I do? Where would I work,” wondered 40-year old Mizan.
Mizan has worked as a farm hand in India before and wants to settle there permanently with his four brothers.
“It is my right to live where I want to. But I am already being harassed here. Who knows what the future holds?” asked Mizan.
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He claimed that the survey committee was supposed to go from door to door and list people who wanted to leave for India. “But they did not. There are seven booths in the exclave for enlisting people who want to leave. But people were barred from going to the booths threatened with physical attack.”
Chief of the Bangladesh survey team, Lalmonirhat deputy commissioner Habibur Rahman brushed off these allegations. “There is no question of dropping anyone from the list.”
Around 300 people, among 10,000, enlisted themselves as interested to settle in India.
The residents of Dasiar Chhara divided themselves into two groups immediately after the announcement of those who wanted to stay and those who did not. They even had a clash in a bid to prevent people from settling in India.
Also president of Enclave United Council, Mizan claimed that around 3,000 people wanted to go to India but could not get their names listed because of threats.
One Balram said he also wanted to leave Bangladesh with his full family including four brothers and an old mother.
But he could not do that because his mother’s name had not been included in a census of 2011. The new survey committee formed in July refused to include his mother’s name on the list. As a result, Balram will be able to go to India except that his mother will have to stay.
“I can’t leave my mother in Bangladesh,” he said. He tried to resolve the problem but the new survey committee did not give me any solution. “However, it won’t be problem that my mother is not on any list if we want to live in Bangladesh.”
Another enclave resident and member of co-ordination committee, 55-year old Maniruddin admitted that the surveyors were supposed to go from door to door.
He said nobody was being harassed. “One the people who do not love Bangladesh and involve with crime wish to go to India.”
Another Dasiar Chhara resident, Nurunnabi works in an Indian brick field with his son Hasanur and returned only after the announcement of a survey that would include his name in the list of would be Indian nationals.
He said he was being threatened for wishing to leave for India while his son, who is still in India, has been listed as someone willing to stay back in Bangladesh.
Nurunnabi said, “It is not just my son. There are many others living in India and listed as potential Bangladeshis without their consent.”
