Assam's problem of foreign infiltration

The Hindu immigrants generally gave their birth place correctly; but among the
Muslims almost everyone gave his birth place as Assam. Those incorrect statements
have reached such serious proportions that it is no longer possible for me to make
any reliable conclusion from migration data and therefore the conclusions
regarding Muslim.

Those persons of undivided India who migrated to Assam or to any other part of
India before July 19, 1948 were deemed to be Indian citizens. From July 19, 1948
up to the enactment of the Constitution of India on November 26, 1949, all
migrants were granted Indian citizenship on application after six months residence
in India. For the rest, Parliament had enacted the Citizenship Act making
elaborate provisions for acquisition and termination of Indian Citizenship.

In spite of these legal provisions, a steady flow of migrants from East Bengal to
Assam continued unabated. So, with a view to stopping illegal infiltration,
Parliament enacted on December 24, 1949 "The Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam)
Act, 1950. In the statement of objects and reasons of the Bill it was said that
the stay of such persons or class of persons in Assam is detrimental to the
interests of the general public of India or of any section thereof...."

The tribal people of Assam have been the major victims from the migration of
infiltrators from East Bengal. Close on the heel of the Bill being passed by
Parliament, Pakistan started complaining whereupon discussions followed between
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India and Liaquat Ali Khan, Prime
Minister of Pakistan. On April 6, 1950 Nehru-Liaquat Pact was signed which
provided for the return of the East Pakistan Muslims. This was taken advantage of
in full measure by the East Pakistani Muslims who had earlier been pushed back
from Assam. The whole purpose of the 1950 Act was defeated. Furtermore, the
National Register of Citizens prepared in 1951 taking resort to the cover afforded
by the Nehru-Liaquat Pact included as good citizens those of the East Pakistani
Muslims whom the Act of 1950 described as foreign infiltrators and directed their
expulsion but could not be expelled due to the Nehru-Liaquat Pact. Nehru became a
party to this Pact mainly for two reasons:- (i) He wanted to show India was so
secular that the Muslim and other religious minorities preferred India to their
countries of origin ostensibly created on the basis of religion. Secondly, the
Congress party of which Nehru was the Parliamentary leader had in the meantime
struck an understanding with the Muslim religious leaders that the Muslim
community would be a solid and stable vote bank for the Congress party.

In October, 1952 was introduced the Passport Regulations and in 1955 was enacted
the Citizenship Act, 1955. Travel between India and Pakistan was restricted. Such
of the Pakistani Nationals as had come over to India and had decided to forsake
their Pak nationality and take Indian citizenship was given the opportunity to do
so. To facilitate this, the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1951 was
formally withdrawn.

The 1961 Census showed a 34.97 per cent increase of Assam's population against a
national average of 21.64 per cent in the decade 1951-1961. The Census of 1961
estimated that not less than 7,50,000 East Pakistani Muslims infiltrated into
Assam within the decade of 1951-1961. In 1965, the Prime Minister of India made a
statement on the floor of the Lok Sabha to this effect on the basis of the reports
of the Indian Intelligence Service. Late B.P. Chaliha, the then Chief Minister of
Assam, however, estimated the influx at 3.50 lakh only. However, 10 tribunals were
set up to hear the appeals the confirmed infiltrators. Thereafter in the year
1967, 1968 and 1969, 1.29 lakh infiltrators were expelled/deported from Assam.
Thereupon, 33 Congress Legislators belonging to the Muslim Community led by Moinul
Haque Choudhury, Dev Kanta Barooah and Sarat Chandra Sinha demonstrated against
the Chief Minister and said that if all expulsions of the alleged Muslim
infiltrators be not stopped forthwith the Muslim block of Congress vote bank would
be lost for ever.

The liberation struggle of East Pakistan and formation of Bangladesh state

resulted in increased infiltration of Muslims from that region to Assam. Shekh
Mujibur Rahman openly said that Assam was the natural field for expansion of
Bangladesh. During the period from March 25, 1971 and December 12, 1971 it is on
record that more than 12 lakh people came over to Assam from East Pakistan and
took shelter here with their relations, friends and acquaintances who had come
over earlier. Most of them did not return.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India vide Memo. No. 11/160/72-TX
dated September 30, 1972 informed the Government of Assam that Indira Gandhi,
Prime Minister of India, had arrived at an understanding with the Prime Minister
of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to the effect that such of the persons as had
come over to India from erstwhile East Pakistan before March 25, 1971 shall not be
deported. In the case of persons who had illegally entered India after March 25,
1971 the State government should prepare list and should forward the same to the
Branch secretariat, External Affairs Ministry, Government of India at Calcutta in
duplicate which would submit a list to the Deputy High Commissioner, Bangladesh at
Calcutta to lease with him for their deportation. But no such deportation took
place. In substance this amounted to the proposition that Articles 5 and 6 of the
Constitution of India would have no relevance with regard to such infiltrators.
Such Bangladeshi infiltrators to Assam became thus well-protected.

Even in the case of infiltrators coming over to Assam after March 25, 1971 the
Government of Bangladesh hold the right to determine and say whether or not such
persons are their citizens. The process of the indigenous majority being relegated
to the position of minority as practised in Tripura and Sikkim is being repeated
in Assam. Failure to appreciate the problem of foreign infiltration to Assam may
lead to dire consequences of dismembering Assam from the Indian Union and its
incorporation in Bangladesh which has now become an Islamic State. In the
alternative, there lurks the danger of creation of a separate "independent" North-
Eastern State as was envisaged by the "Corpland Plan". Statistical Abstract India,
1972 published by the Government of India has shown the Decennial growth of
population of North-East region of India which is a danger signal.

It shows that the growth for India as a whole was 5.73 per cent in the decade of
1901 to 1911. By the decade of 1961 to 1971 it has gone up to 24.57 per cent. As
against this, the growth in Assam has been from 16.84 per cent to 34.71 per cent.
The growth in Manipur has been from 21.71 per cent to 37.53 per cent. The growth
in Meghalaya has been from 15.71 per cent to 31.50 per cent. In Nagaland from
46.76 per cent in 1901-1911 it went down to 14.07 per cent in 1951-1961 and it
went up to 39.85 per cent in the decade of 1961 to 1971. Nagaland figures are not
very reliable due to the disturbed condition and absence of well-settled
administration there. Moreover, Nagaland has not been experiencing the Bangladesh
infiltration as acutely as Assam. In Tripura from the growth position of 32.48 per
cent in the decade of 1901-1911 it shot up to 78.71 per cent in the decade of
1951-1961. In Tripura the saturation point was reached in the matter of
immigration even before independence of the country and the indigenous Tripuri
people became a minority and the Bengali migrants became the dominant and
dominating factor. This led to violent resistance from the Tripura tribals and it
is still continuing.

There is a wrong notion in other parts of India that there is plenty of cultivable
waste land in Assam and in comparison with that the total population of the
province and density of population per square mile is small. Yes, it was so in
1931 when as per the Census held on February 26, 1931, the total area of Assam was
67,334 sq. miles, the total population was 9,247,857 and density of population was
137 per sq. mile. But at present (as per 1991 Census) the total area of Assam is
78438 sq.km. The population is 2,24,14,000 and density of population per sq. km.
is 286. In plains districts like Nalbari, Kamrup and Karimganj it is 450, 460, 457
respectively per sq. km. As against this, the density per sq. km. in West Bengal
is 504, Bihar 324 and U.P. 300. The pressure on agricultural land in Assam is very
high. There are about three lakhs of landless people in Assam. The continuous flow
of Muslim infiltrators, who are mostly cultivators is, therefore, telling upon the
economy of the State.

Up till division of India on communal (religious) line that is, Bharat and
Pakistan and thereby getting political independence for the country, the problem
was politically simple. It was influx to Assam a part of India, of non-Assamese
people from outside Assam but from within the territory of India. Overwhelming
number of these immigrants was Bengali Muslims. But all the same, they were
Indians. But after Independence the problem became very complicated in that
henceforward unauthorised immigration became illegal foreign infiltration.
Previously, it was provincial or regional problems. Now it has become a National
Problem.