Times of India: Ranchi: Friday,
27 December 2024.
"None of the divisions
under the home ministry has any information on Bangladeshi infiltrators as none
of the states reported on the matter ever," the Union govt said in
response to an RTI application filed by one Siraj Datta.
Siraj is a member of the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM), a conglomeration of rights bodies. He filed the RTI application on October 4 in the wake of BJP and several members of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi-led Cabinet raking up alleged Bangladeshi infiltration in Jharkhand during the recently held assembly polls.
Even after the state polls, BJP vowed to continue its fight against the menace in the state while claiming that it was leading to changing demography in tribal heartland. The issue was also a key poll plank here during this year's Lok Sabha polls.
Sharing the Centre's response received on Thursday, JJM said, "BJP leaders, including the PM and the home minister (HM), spread communal hatred by raising the issue of Bangladeshi infiltrators. BJP claimed there were millions of Bangladeshi infiltrators in the state. Even now, several leaders continue to echo the sentiment. But the Union ministry of home affairs's response to an RTI query on the issue has exposed the hollowness of these claims."
The RTI sought state-wise information on the number of Bangladeshi infiltrators, cases of land and love jihad, and actions taken by the home department. It was circulated across departments of the home ministry ( the Citizenship Cell, Foreigners Cell, Immigration Bureau, Intelligence Department) over the past three months. Each department responded that they had no information.
"Illegal immigrants surreptitiously enter India through porous borders. All matters related to entry, stay and exit of foreign nationals including illegal Bangladeshis in the country are dealt under the provisions of (i) The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920; (ii) The Foreigners Act, 1946; (iii) The Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939 and (iv) The Citizenship Act, 1955. Data of such illegal Bangladeshi citizens including their activities during their stay in the country is not centrally available. The sought information may be available with the state govts/UTs or Bureau of Immigration," read the response.
"The powers of Union govt under sec 3 of the Foreigners Act, 1946, to detect, restrict movement, deport illegal foreigners and powers under sec 5 of the The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 have been entrusted with the state govts/UTs and Bureau of Immigration," it added.
The Bureau of Immigration said, "The sought information doesn't pertain to the Bureau of Immigration/Intelligence Bureau."
JJM said the home ministry's response shows how BJP spread falsehoods about Bangladeshi infiltration during the Jharkhand elections for religious polarisation.
"The baselessness of the communal agenda in Santhal Pargana has been exposed as the local administration stated in a related PIL in the High Court that there are no Bangladeshi infiltrators in the area. An Election Commission team (which included BJP members) too found nothing in their investigation. The Union govt admitted in a related PIL in the High Court that there was no connection between land dispute cases and Bangladeshi infiltrators," said JJM, demanding govt to take appropriate legal actions against anyone who continues to spread communalism by using terms like ‘Bangladeshi infiltrators', ‘land jihad', or ‘love jihad', to divide Jharkhand.
Siraj is a member of the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM), a conglomeration of rights bodies. He filed the RTI application on October 4 in the wake of BJP and several members of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi-led Cabinet raking up alleged Bangladeshi infiltration in Jharkhand during the recently held assembly polls.
Even after the state polls, BJP vowed to continue its fight against the menace in the state while claiming that it was leading to changing demography in tribal heartland. The issue was also a key poll plank here during this year's Lok Sabha polls.
Sharing the Centre's response received on Thursday, JJM said, "BJP leaders, including the PM and the home minister (HM), spread communal hatred by raising the issue of Bangladeshi infiltrators. BJP claimed there were millions of Bangladeshi infiltrators in the state. Even now, several leaders continue to echo the sentiment. But the Union ministry of home affairs's response to an RTI query on the issue has exposed the hollowness of these claims."
The RTI sought state-wise information on the number of Bangladeshi infiltrators, cases of land and love jihad, and actions taken by the home department. It was circulated across departments of the home ministry ( the Citizenship Cell, Foreigners Cell, Immigration Bureau, Intelligence Department) over the past three months. Each department responded that they had no information.
"Illegal immigrants surreptitiously enter India through porous borders. All matters related to entry, stay and exit of foreign nationals including illegal Bangladeshis in the country are dealt under the provisions of (i) The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920; (ii) The Foreigners Act, 1946; (iii) The Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939 and (iv) The Citizenship Act, 1955. Data of such illegal Bangladeshi citizens including their activities during their stay in the country is not centrally available. The sought information may be available with the state govts/UTs or Bureau of Immigration," read the response.
"The powers of Union govt under sec 3 of the Foreigners Act, 1946, to detect, restrict movement, deport illegal foreigners and powers under sec 5 of the The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 have been entrusted with the state govts/UTs and Bureau of Immigration," it added.
The Bureau of Immigration said, "The sought information doesn't pertain to the Bureau of Immigration/Intelligence Bureau."
JJM said the home ministry's response shows how BJP spread falsehoods about Bangladeshi infiltration during the Jharkhand elections for religious polarisation.
"The baselessness of the communal agenda in Santhal Pargana has been exposed as the local administration stated in a related PIL in the High Court that there are no Bangladeshi infiltrators in the area. An Election Commission team (which included BJP members) too found nothing in their investigation. The Union govt admitted in a related PIL in the High Court that there was no connection between land dispute cases and Bangladeshi infiltrators," said JJM, demanding govt to take appropriate legal actions against anyone who continues to spread communalism by using terms like ‘Bangladeshi infiltrators', ‘land jihad', or ‘love jihad', to divide Jharkhand.