Central government lacks refugee data, but hell-bent on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The Central government is adamant when it comes to passing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The ground reality, nonetheless, is that New Delhi doesn’t even have the accurate data of the number of refugees from the three neighbouring countries in question – Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan – who have made India, including Assam, their living space.

This came to the fore on January 8 this year in the Lok Sabha when the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was introduced. The Bill got is passage in the Lower House that day.

In an unstarred question that day, Dhubri MP Badruddin Ajmal wanted to know from the Ministry of Home Affairs the number of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Christian refugees from the neighbouring countries who have settled in India up to December 31, 2014, the number of refugees in different States, and the number of refugees in Assam district-wise.

Oddly enough, in his reply, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said, “In the absence of authentic survey, the accurate data of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who came from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan etc and settled in various parts of India, including Assam, up to December 31, 2014 is not available. However, as per available information, more than 30,000 people belonging to such minority communities from these countries are staying in India on long-term visas.”

Also read: Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) against Citizenship Bill