The Jharkhand High Court recently ordered the state government to identify the Bangladeshis who have entered India illegally and prepare an action plan to take action against them and send them back. A bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice AK Rai gave the judgement on 3rd July after hearing the petition of Daniel Danish in which the court was told that in regions including Santhal Pargana, adjacent to Bangladesh, banned organisations of the neighbouring country are converting ST (Scheduled Tribe) girls of the state to Islam in the name of marriage. The incidents are being carried out in a planned manner and it is imperative to put an end to them.
Notably, there has reportedly been a sudden increase in the number of madrasas in the districts of Santhal Pargana. There are 46 new madrasas there and they are being utilised for anti-national activities, according to the plea. The intruders are also occupying the land in addition to exploiting the local females. The court has ordered the government to provide a progress report on the matter in less than two weeks and specify the number of infiltrators from Bangladesh that they have identified, how many of them have been stopped, and how many were sent back.
Moreover, the court also asked the central government to submit a response on the issue and declared it a grave matter. It pointed out that state governments alone cannot handle it and the center and the state should work together. therefore, the centre should also inform the court about the measures they have taken in this regard. The centre presented its case to the court during the hearing as well and informed that state governments now have permission to detect infiltrators and take appropriate action as the Modi administration granted them the authority.
The deputy commissioners (DCs) of Deoghar, Pakur Dumka, Sahebgunj, Godda and Jamtara were given orders by the court to create an action plan and take measures to prevent refugees from entering Bangladesh. The chief secretary was directed by the court to become involved in the matter as well and work with the DCs of the districts that make up Santhal Pargana. According to the bench’s oral observation, illegal immigrants have entered the state and are using all benefits. It stated that this should cease and that the government should take action to send them back.
The petitioner told the bench that the state government is denying infiltration in the state and doesn’t even acknowledge any conversion in the Santhal area. Hence, the centre should be directed to take action against the Bangladeshi intruders in such a situation. Now, the next hearing in the case is to be held on 18th July. He revealed, “The court also said that illegal immigration is not a concern of a district or the state but the whole country. The demography of the area will undergo a drastic and unwanted change which will affect the tribal populace of the Santhal Pargana.”
Importantly, the Allahabad High Court earlier expressed strong opinions regarding the subject of conversion. Observing the peril of Christian conversion, it warned that the majority population of the nation would eventually become a minority if the conversion proceeded in this manner. The bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal delivered the significant statement and highlighted that the conversion of Indians should cease right away, no matter where or how it transpires.
