The dominance of illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators in the Seemanchal region in Bihar has compelled the local Hindus to migrate to other areas. In districts that are collectively called Seemanchal, major demographic change has been taking place as Bangladeshis and Rohingyas are settling there in large numbers. Consequently, the Hindus have been reduced to a minority in the region.
Notably, the Seemanchal region of Bihar includes the districts of Kishanganj, Araria, Katihar, and Purnia bordering Bangladesh and Nepal. The population of Hindus in this area has dropped considerably. In Kishanganj, Hindus have become a minority. As per the official data of the 2011 census, the Muslim population makes up to 67.98 percent while the Hindu population is 31.43 percent.
According to a Dainik Jagran report, the share of Muslims in the country’s population increased by 4% between 1951 and 2011. During this time span, this figure in the bordering Seemanchal districts was 16 percent. In these districts, Bangladeshis and Rohingyas are arriving via West Bengal and settling there.
It is pertinent to mention that in a similar scenario of demographic change, several areas in Uttar Pradesh bordering Nepal have also witnessed major changes, wherein illegal Mazaars are being installed in a bid to capture land. OpIndia has done a series of ground reporting about the demographic changes at the Indo-Nepal border.
Coming back to Seemanchal, the Muslim population in this region has increased rapidly, resulting in a decline in the percentage of the Hindu population and several Hindus have also migrated to other areas. As per the 2011 census, the population of Muslims has increased to 67.58 percent while the Hindu population has been recorded at 31.43 percent only.
It is notable that Muslims account for 44.47 percent of the population in Katihar, 42.95 percent in Araria, and 38.46 percent in Purnia.
In many districts of Seemanchal, Hindus became minorities and moved to other districts after getting tired of the persistent harassment. Hindu families from Rampur village in Araria’s Raniganj block relocated to Doganchhi village, where the Hindu population is slightly higher.
Local Muslims are said to have helped Bangladeshi infiltrators settle and obtain important documents in order to increase their population. Furthermore, producing more children is a common and continual strategy employed by Muslims to bolster their dominance.
Each married Muslim woman in these areas has more than ten children, and if a Muslim man has two wives, a single Muslim family has 20 children on average. If a Muslim-dominated village has 20 Muslim men, the village has 250 children on average. If this pattern persists for the next ten years, the entire demographic scenario will be altered.
It is worth noting that the infiltrators from Bangladesh and Rohingyas from Burma enter West Bengal and from there they move further to other states, particularly in Muslim-dominated areas.
Apart from the threat posed by demographic change, the Seemanchal districts are also sensitive from the standpoint of national security. In 2017, a tunnel was unearthed near the Bangladesh-India border. This tunnel was dug from Bangladesh to India by excavating 80 metres of land from beneath the barbed fence. This tunnel was meant to facilitate the infiltration of Bangladeshis into India.
A syndicate of smugglers works here, from infiltrating them to obtaining fake documents and settling them. Their reach extends to the Muslim smugglers sitting in Bangladesh and Nepal.
