After the departure of Sheikh Hasina, the situation of Hindus in Bangladesh is terrible. Minorities are being killed, their houses and shops are being looted. The situation is so scary that lakhs of people are forced to leave the country. After riots broke out in Bangladesh, a crowd of Bangladeshi citizens was seen on the border of India. Apart from this, many Bangladeshi infiltrators have been arrested. In such a situation, the question in everyone’s mind is whether Bangladeshi citizens can come and live in India? Let us know what India’s refugee policy says.
Can Bangladeshis take refuge in India?
First of all, know that there is no law regarding refugees in India. In this matter, India is completely free whether it wants to give shelter to the people of other countries or not, but a citizen of any other country cannot come and live in India by infiltrating. In the year 1951, the League of Nations (now United Nations) had prepared a policy for refugees. This policy is also known as Geneva Convention. This policy explains who refugees are and what the rights of asylum seekers and responsibilities of asylum granting countries are.
The convention also determines which people do not qualify as refugees. By the year 1967, this policy had been implemented all over the world or rather in many countries, but India is not a part of this policy. This does not mean that refugees never came to India. In the recent past, Tibetans, Chakmas of Bangladesh and people of Afghanistan and Sri Lanka have taken refuge in India.
Refugees get citizenship through this agency
In India, a common man from any country gets asylum through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This is the refugee agency of the United Nations. One has to apply from its official website. After investigation and questions and answers, it will be decided whether they will be given asylum or not. If a foreigner feels that his security is at risk and does not want to return to his country, he can take refuge in India. In this process, the candidate is interviewed and information about his documents and family is collected. That means whether Bangladeshis have to be given asylum in India or not, it completely depends on the Indian government.
How many Bangladeshi refugees are there in India?
Before Bangladesh came into existence in the year 1971, there was terrible violence going on there, so lakhs of Bangladeshi people came to India in search of refuge. Since then there have been different claims regarding Bangladeshi refugees in India. In 2004, the UPA government had said that about 12 lakh illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were living in India. But in 2016 this number was said to be around 20 lakh. Whereas in 2018, Home Minister Amit Shah said this figure to be around 40 lakhs.