North-East India navigates refugee flux amid rising infiltration bids from Bangladeshi Hindus

The ongoing religious persecution of Bengali Hindus in Bangladesh, coupled with their attempts to find refuge in India's northeastern states like Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya, has sparked an intense debate over the country's refugee policies.

- ABHIJIT DEB

A section of Indian policymakers advocates for offering asylum to persecuted Hindus, viewing it as India's moral obligation. However, this stance raises alarms in the northeastern states, where concerns about demographic changes loom large.

Tripura, for instance, transitioned from a tribal-majority state to one dominated by Bengali migrants following historical influxes from Bangladesh.

Amidst this complex backdrop, the plight of a family of ten from Dhanpur Union Parishad in Bangladesh's Kishoreganj district illustrates the growing crisis.

Arrested last week after crossing Tripura's porous international border, the family, comprising three men, two women, two teenagers and three minors, was fleeing communal violence. They had hoped to settle in Silchar, Assam, but were detained near Ambassa railway station in Dhalai district. The family was produced in a local court, where the adults were sent to judicial custody, and the minors placed in a juvenile home.

A DESPERATE FLIGHT FOR SURVIVAL

Seventy-year-old Sudhir Sarkar narrated their ordeal to local reporters, describing escalating violence against Hindus since the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government in Bangladesh.

"We faced threats, accusations of being Indian agents and witnessed horrifying incidents of abductions. It became impossible for us to stay; if we go back, we will be killed; it is better to die here," Sarkar said. The family sold their belongings to finance their escape, leaving behind ancestral lands and assets. Sarkar expressed fears of deportation, stating, "If we are sent back, we will lose everything."