The Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday directed the state government to identify illegal Bangladeshi immigrants taking refuge in the Santhal Pargana region. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Arun Kumar Rai, while hearing a PIL filed on illegal migration of Bangladeshis, ordered the government to launch a campaign to identify the original inhabitants of the region.
The court also directed that the documents required for making ration cards, Aadhaar cards and voter ID cards should be issued only after verifying the land documents and residential status of the applicants.
‘Serious for the state and the center…’
The bench said that illegal immigration from the neighbouring country is a dangerous proposition, a matter of serious concern for the state and the Centre. During the debate, petitioner Daniel Danish told the court that illegal immigrants have settled in 6 districts of Santhal Pargana – Deoghar, Dumka, Sahibganj, Pakur, Godda and Jamtara. As a result, the demography of the area has changed significantly.
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The court was told that between 1951 and 2011, the tribal population has decreased from 44.67 to 28.11 percent, while the minority population has increased from 9.44 to 22.73 percent. The court will hear the case again on August 22.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)