In the last decade of 20th century, Bangladesh witnessed a mass movement demanding visa-free mobility across the border. It gained wide popularity in the country by raising attractive slogans that have, at last, two major important aspects. The slogans, having humane appeal, drew people'sattention and they were, ?farmers will go where there is land? and ?workers will go where there is work?. There should be no barrier of border or visa system or else. The target was certainly India.
The organisers of the movement reached the heart of the common people in a very short time because the country had been suffering badly from acute problem of unemployment and underdevelopment. Much earlier, the total population of the country had gone to alarming position. The situation had been deteriorating day-by-day as the rapid growth continued shattering the balance of national economy. Therefore, the illiterate or less educated or uneducated rural, even to much extent, urban mass thought if such a condition happens then they can move for better alternative source of resources, mainly to India, which is, to them, a land of prosperity?what the common Indians think about America. A large number of common Bangladeshis have a common dream to come to India to live a comfortable life. They are either frustrated with the hardships being faced regularly in the homeland, or, are misguided by the propaganda of some vested interest groups. These groups plan to make Islamic nation expanded in north east India, mainly to Assam and Tripura by exporting Muslim population, which in the course of time, will change the demography and reduce Hindus to minority. These groups having support and guidance from ISI of Pakistan, have been fostering and spreading religious fanaticism among mass Muslim population in the entire country. Their primary aim is to make Hindu-free Bangladesh. For that they encourage arsoning, killing, rape etc in Hindu villages using local Muslim youngsters who are taught that if any damage is done to non-Muslims then the gate of heaven will be open to them and the angles will be welcoming with sura (wine).
Illegal infiltration into Indian territory is one of the many concerted efforts being initiated and materialised by various fundamentalist organisations deeply rooted in the Islamic world. The members or agents of these organisations take the task of helping people to cross the border, mainly over to India by managing BDR and BSF jawans. Smt Rama Rakshit, SP, Mobile Task Force, Government of Tripura, in a letter written to this writer on December 26, 2006 said that motives in general behind the infiltration are (1) smuggling, (2) terrorism, (3) drug trafficking etc. besides seeing relatives, seeking better treatment or searching for livelihood.
If terrorism is one of the motives of infiltration, then, no doubt, it has caused much damage to this land so far. Here it is to be mentioned that the DGP of Tripura G.M. Srivastav in a press statement issued last year informed that ISI plans to use Tripura as the corridor to infiltrate terrorists to cause destruction in other parts of the country.
It'strue that NSCN(IM), ULFA, HNLC, PLA and other prominent insurgent outfits of various north-east Indian states have been using Tripura border as the gateway to Bangladesh, the country where all the organisations have their training camps, for a long time. No scope for doubt that these organisations enjoy support and guidance from ISI and Bangladesh Army. Otherwise it could not be possible for them to have long existence in the land of religious ultras.
Indian insurgents are not ungrateful. In return to the assistance available in neighbouring country, militant outfits encourage infiltration, though fighting against it was the basic principle of some of these.
It was observed in Tripura during massive insurgent activities between the years 1994 and 2001, when even security personnel did not dare to go to interior areas, the unknown faces had free access to all the affected areas.
With whatever help or motive, infiltration is a great problem in Tripura which is the smallest north-eastern state. The state, having only 10,491 sq. km area and around 34 lakhs of population, has been a major target. Pakistan had greedy glance at it during independence period. Immense pressure it mounted on the Queen Kanchanprava Devi to join Pakistan. But she honoured the wishes of the late Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur, who favoured India, and signed the agreement in New Delhi in 1949.
One should easily understand the situation as in last five years only the detained and pushed-back Bangladeshis in Tripura numbered more than thirty thousand. In the year 2001, a total 5797 Bangladeshi nationals were detained from various parts of the state. Later, after the legal process was done under the Foreigners? Act 1946, all were sent back. In 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, the numbers were 8294, 10,880, 3620 and 2009 respectively. Last year near about 1700 Bangladeshis were detained and pushed back to their homeland.
Everybody knows that several lakhs of Bangladeshis live in present Tripura who came at the time of war of liberation in 1971 from the erstwhile East Pakistan. Most of them are Hindus who were forced to leave the motherland through inhuman torture and persecution by the people of majority community. Various documents of government disclosed this truth. Rests came either for better livelihood or being a part of expansion policy of fundamentalists.
(The writer is a journalist and can be contacted at [email protected])
