The situation in Assam, meanwhile, continues to be grim. There are around six million illegal Bangladeshis. The Gauhati HC had earlier this year said that “Bangladeshis had become kingmakers 
in Assam”, and stressed on the need for a “strong political will” to remedy the situation. Some 855 students had died in the Assam Agitation in the 1970s and ‘80s, a movement aimed at forcing the government to identify and deport illegals. The situation, however, shows no sign of improvement even after the SC scrapped the controversial Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, 1983, a piece of legislation that was tailor-made to protect the illegal Bangladeshis in Assam.
Arunachal Pradesh, on the other hand, seems to gain immensely from the inner line permit provision that it has, being a sensitive border state, a provision that was often seen as an obstacle in the state’s development. Here too, however, the political will is striking compared to the scenario in Assam, which through full page advertisements declared that hundreds of alleged Bangladeshis, who had been pushed out of Arunachal and Nagaland a few months ago, were in reality Indian citizens, something that should have left to the judiciary to determine. “So far as our government is concerned,” said Tsering Gyurme, parliamentary secretary and principal adviser to Arunachal Pradesh CM Dorjee Khandu, ”the inner line permit does not allow even Indians to settle in our state. So there is no question of outsiders. We even insist on Arunachalis travelling out of the state to carry identity papers.” There is an increase in the number of illegal Bangladeshis now working in Itanagar. And what of the fact that the Tarun Gogoi government had declared that the suspected illegals pushed out of Arunachal were Indians? “That’s Gogoi’s problem,” Gyurme told TSI. All Bangladeshis who were working in Arunachal Pradesh had been identified and “could be shunted out anytime”, he added. “This is not like Assam where people can come in anytime, settle and get permanent resident certificates.”
The All Nyishi
Students’ Union (ANSU) had served a quit notice on alleged Bangladeshis in September this year. The students then physically removed a number of alleged illegals, which led to the All Minority Students’ Union in Assam blocking National Highway. While Arunachal home minister Jarbor Gamlin had at that stage said that there were around 8,000 illegal Bangladeshis in Arunachal, the state unit of the Congress had come out in support of the movement by Arunachali students. “We support any move to free the state of migrants,” Nabam Tuki, president of the state unit of the Congress had said at that point. Support for the innerline permit meanwhile only grows. He blamed the Border Security Force for letting in Bangladeshis. “No one goes from Assam to bring Bangladeshis into Assam,” he said, “the paramilitary forces simply let them in.”
And just how far are these governments willing to go to protect the rights of it heir people? One indicator would perhaps suffice: asked about the 1974 Indira-Mujib Pact, which has turned out to be a major impediment in so far as repatriation of Bangladeshi illegals from India is concerned, and which groups such as the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in Assam demand that the government renegotiate with Bangladesh, Lyngdoh was clear of his government’s stand: “Our state laws do not permit even Indian citizens to buy land in our district councils. So the Indira-Mujib Pact will not work here,” he said....Continue
in Assam”, and stressed on the need for a “strong political will” to remedy the situation. Some 855 students had died in the Assam Agitation in the 1970s and ‘80s, a movement aimed at forcing the government to identify and deport illegals. The situation, however, shows no sign of improvement even after the SC scrapped the controversial Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, 1983, a piece of legislation that was tailor-made to protect the illegal Bangladeshis in Assam.Arunachal Pradesh, on the other hand, seems to gain immensely from the inner line permit provision that it has, being a sensitive border state, a provision that was often seen as an obstacle in the state’s development. Here too, however, the political will is striking compared to the scenario in Assam, which through full page advertisements declared that hundreds of alleged Bangladeshis, who had been pushed out of Arunachal and Nagaland a few months ago, were in reality Indian citizens, something that should have left to the judiciary to determine. “So far as our government is concerned,” said Tsering Gyurme, parliamentary secretary and principal adviser to Arunachal Pradesh CM Dorjee Khandu, ”the inner line permit does not allow even Indians to settle in our state. So there is no question of outsiders. We even insist on Arunachalis travelling out of the state to carry identity papers.” There is an increase in the number of illegal Bangladeshis now working in Itanagar. And what of the fact that the Tarun Gogoi government had declared that the suspected illegals pushed out of Arunachal were Indians? “That’s Gogoi’s problem,” Gyurme told TSI. All Bangladeshis who were working in Arunachal Pradesh had been identified and “could be shunted out anytime”, he added. “This is not like Assam where people can come in anytime, settle and get permanent resident certificates.”
The All Nyishi
Students’ Union (ANSU) had served a quit notice on alleged Bangladeshis in September this year. The students then physically removed a number of alleged illegals, which led to the All Minority Students’ Union in Assam blocking National Highway. While Arunachal home minister Jarbor Gamlin had at that stage said that there were around 8,000 illegal Bangladeshis in Arunachal, the state unit of the Congress had come out in support of the movement by Arunachali students. “We support any move to free the state of migrants,” Nabam Tuki, president of the state unit of the Congress had said at that point. Support for the innerline permit meanwhile only grows. He blamed the Border Security Force for letting in Bangladeshis. “No one goes from Assam to bring Bangladeshis into Assam,” he said, “the paramilitary forces simply let them in.”And just how far are these governments willing to go to protect the rights of it heir people? One indicator would perhaps suffice: asked about the 1974 Indira-Mujib Pact, which has turned out to be a major impediment in so far as repatriation of Bangladeshi illegals from India is concerned, and which groups such as the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in Assam demand that the government renegotiate with Bangladesh, Lyngdoh was clear of his government’s stand: “Our state laws do not permit even Indian citizens to buy land in our district councils. So the Indira-Mujib Pact will not work here,” he said....Continue
