The Jharkhand government is patronising the infiltration of Bangladeshis in a systematic way, top Intelligence sources told CNN-News18, a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) lodged a money laundering case to probe suspected infiltration and trafficking of some Bangladeshi women into the state which led to the generation of alleged slush funds.
“The demography has changed in a designed way. There is a significant decrease in the population of tribes in many districts. The ED probe was ordered two days ago and the case was immediately taken up to understand the source of funding and possible strategy of the state government in shifting the demography from tribals to Bangladeshis,” the sources said.
The Centre, in a surprise move, had earlier accepted that Jharkhand had fallen prey to infiltration, with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) saying in its affidavit that there is also a “sizeable decrease” in the tribal population due to “high conversion of tribals and low birth rate” among them.
According to sources, illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are living in Jharkhand — a charge denied by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led (JMM) alliance government mainly for vote-bank politics.
In its affidavit on September 12 this year, the Union government said Bangladeshis illegally entered Jharkhand through Sahebgunj and Pakur districts. According to the affidavit, the total population in Santhal Pargana in 1961 was 23,22,092, in which the Hindu population stood at 90.37 per cent, Muslim population at 9.43 per cent, and tribal population at 44.67 per cent. In 2011, the tribal population in Santhal stood at 28 per cent, Hindus at 67.95 per cent, while the Muslim population increased to 22.73 per cent.
The Centre believes “this was not natural but happened due to infiltration”.
The ED will investigate the basic money part of the game spread over the tribal regions of Santhal Pargana and Kolhan divisions. The touts and human trafficking ring leaders involved in this illegal trade will be investigated, apart from the forgery of documents.
The agency will also probe the role of local leaders who are facilitating the infiltration in their state.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accused the ruling JMM-led coalition in Jharkhand of encouraging Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltration for vote bank politics and criticised it for “rampant corruption”.
Addressing the ‘Parivartan Maharally’ at Gopal Maidan, the prime minister said: “Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators have become a major threat to the Santhal Parganas and Kolhan regions. The demographics of these regions are changing rapidly, with tribal population on the decline. Infiltrators are taking control of the panchayat system, seizing land, and committing atrocities. Each resident of Jharkhand is feeling unsafe.”
He accused the JMM of “supporting infiltrators” and claimed that “illegal immigrants from the neighbouring country have managed to gain influence over the ruling party in the state”.
Modi also criticised the Jharkhand government for refusing to acknowledge the infiltration issue despite a high court order to establish an independent panel to investigate the influx of Bangladeshi immigrants.
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