Probe on demographic changes in tribal areas: NCST to ask Chhattisgarh govt

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) will ask the Chhattisgarh government to probe if the resettlement of Bangladeshi refugees has led to demographic changes in tribal areas, according to officials.

It will also ask the Chhattisgarh government to probe complaints of the refugees "displacing" a large number of tribals from their land in the Bastar region and "inflicting atrocities" on them, an NCST official told PTI. A number of tribal representatives raised these issues during the commission's visit to the state last month, the official said.

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"The government resettled a large number of Bengali refugees, who came to India from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) after Partition, in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and the Northeast under the Dandakaranya project that started in 1958. Many more came after the 1971 India-Pakistan War," the official said. In Chhattisgarh, the Bengali refugees were resettled in the Bastar region, especially Kanker district.

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"During our visit to Chhattisgarh, tribal representatives claimed that the influx of refugees over the years has led to demographic changes in tribal areas," the official said. The commission has also received complaints about the refugees "displacing a large number of tribals from their land and inflicting atrocities on them", he said.

NCST chairman Nand Kumar Sai said, "The matter pertains to the Bastar region. We have told the Chhattisgarh government that it is a serious issue and a thorough investigation is needed." "Tribal areas are special areas as per the Constitution and a demographic change is a serious threat to the rights of the indigenous people," he said.

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The commission will ask the state government to furnish the number of Bangladeshi refugees resettled in the state initially and their current population. "The state government will be asked to find out if the number of refugees has exceeded the tribal population, and how many cases of Bangladeshi refugees displacing tribals from their land have been reported," the official said.

The commission has apprised Chhattisgarh Governor Anusuiya Uikey, who has also served as the vice-chairperson of the NCST in the past, of the issue, another official said. When contacted, Chhattisgarh's Scheduled Tribes Department Secretary D D Singh said, "The commission has informed us that certain issues have surfaced during their visit to the state and that they are preparing a report. We are awaiting a formal communication from the NSCT."

(image from PTI)

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