Arguing that the Bengali-speaking Muslims of Santhal Pargana are Indians and not Bangladeshi infiltrators, in a joint statement, the civil rights groups Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha and the Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan have argued that their fact-finding team that by coming up with such propaganda, "BJP aims to create social and political rifts between Adivasis, Hindus, and Muslims" with the objective of creating "religious and social polarization before the Jharkhand Assembly elections."
Claiming that the propaganda arose following "a dispute going on between the Adivasi family and a Muslim family over the land for more than 30 years", following which the Muslim family "tried to capture this Adivasi land recently", resulting in a scuffle on 18 July, the team in a report it released to the media it regretted, the dispute was sought to be given a communal colour by State and national level leaders of BJP who said that &Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators" are responsible for for grabbing the Adivasi land in the district.
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In recent times, BJP is continuously propagating that a large number of Bangladeshi infiltrators are settling in Santhal Pargana by grabbing Adivasi land and marrying Adivasi women. As a result, the population of Adivasis is decreasing. BJP has linked some recent cases of violence with Bangladeshi infiltrators and is using it for social and political mobilization. To understand the ground reality, a delegation of Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha and Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan went to Santhal Pargana and fact-checked every related matter.
The fact-finding team spoke in detail with the students, victims, accused individuals, villagers from both sides, village heads and local activists in recent major cases in Pakur and Sahibganj, such as Gaibathan, Gopinathpur, Taranagar-Ilami, KKM College, etc. The team also studied the registered FIRs and related documents in these cases. Census data from 1901 till now, related census reports, gazetteers and research papers related to demography of the area were also assessed. The team found that the ground reality is far from the communal claims of BJP.
Brief details of the cases:
In Gaithbathan village, there was a dispute going on between the Adivasi family and a Muslim family over the land for more than 30 years. The Muslim family tried to capture this Adivasi land recently, after which a scuffle took place on 18 July. Students of KKM College from Adivasi Chhatra Sangh protested against this on 27 July. The night before, the police severely beat up students in the college hostel. In Taranagar-Ilami, Hindu families beat up a Muslim youth and his mother for allegedly sharing a photo of a Hindu girl on social media. A large number of Muslims vandalized and attacked the Hindu hamlet after the rumor of the death of the Muslim woman spread. In Gopinathpur, there was a dispute over sacrifice during Bakrid that resulted in violence between the Muslims of neighbouring Murshidabad village, the Hindus of Gopinathpur and the police. See report for detailed information.
State and national level leaders of BJP are continuously saying that Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators are responsible for these incidents. But during fact-finding inquiry, the team found that all the incidents were between different local communities and people. None of the villagers in these villages – Adivasi, Hindu or Muslim – talked about the settlement of Bangladeshi infiltrators. Even the BJP Mandal President living in Taranagar-Ilami said that all the Muslims of his area were locals and not infiltrators. Interestingly, BJP leader Nishiskant Dubey had raised he issue of this village as a matter of violence by Bangladeshi infiltrators.
The team visited many villages and asked villagers, city dwellers, students, public representatives etcs whether anyone had information about even a single Bangladeshi infiltrator till date. Everyone said that they did not. When asked where they had heard about the infiltrators, everyone said that they had heard about it on social media but had not seen one till date. Be it the matter of grabbing and settling on Adivasi land, marriage with Adivasi women or the recent violence, there is no question of Bangladeshi infiltrators in these.
At present, a large part of the Muslim community living in Pakur and Sahebganj are Shershabadias who have been settled there for many decades. Apart from them, there are Pasmanda and other Muslim communities settled in Jharkhand who have come from neighboring states. Many among them are Jamabandi Raiyats, and many have settled here in the past few decades, having come from nearby districts or states.Historically, the Shershabadia Muslim community settled along the banks of the river Ganga (from Rajmahal to present-day Rajshahi district in Bangladesh) since the Mughal era. It is also significant that in most of the villages where the BJP has raised issues, there is no history of communal violence.
The BJP has been consistently claiming that the Adivasi population has decreased by 10-16% in the past 24 years due to Bangladeshi infiltrators. First of all, there is no evidence of Bangladeshi infiltrators settling here. Secondly, according to census data, in 1951, the Santhal Pargana region had 46.8% Adivasis, 9.44% Muslims, and 43.5% Hindus. By 1991, the Adivasi population became 31.89%, while the Muslim population became 18.25%. According to the latest census (2011), the region had 28.11% Adivasi, 22.73% Muslims, and 49% Hindus. Between 1951 and 2011, the Hindu population increased by 24 lakh, the Muslim population by 13.6 lakh, and the Adivasi population by 8.7 lakh.
It is clear that the data presented by the BJP in Parliament and the media are false. However, the declining proportion of Adivasis in the total population is a serious issue, and there is a need to understand its root causes. The significant decline in the proportion of Adivasis occurred between 1951 and 1991 and it is still going on. The three main reasons for this are:
1) For decades, the population growth rate among Adivasis was lower than non-Adivasi groups due to inadequate nutrition, insufficient healthcare, and economic hardship,
2) In the Santhal Pargana region, Muslims and Hindus from Jharkhand, Bengal, and Bihar have migrated and purchased land from Adivasis and settled down,
3) Adivasis across the state, including in Santhal Pargana, have been forced to migrate in large numbers for decades, which directly affects their population growth rate.
A major issue related to this situation is the continuing alienation of Adivasi land which is being overshadowed by BJP's communal politics. The fact-finding team found that there is widespread violation of the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act and Adivasis are selling their land through donation deeds and informal transactions (unofficial & illegal in nature) to non-Adivasis, including Muslims and Hindus, on a large-scale. Non-Adivasis from Santhal Pargana and neighboring districts/states are buying this land.
Population growth rate of Adivasis was lower than non-Adivasis due to inadequate nutrition, insufficient healthcare, economic hardship
The Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act stipulates that Adivasi land is completely non-transferable, and even Adivasis themselves cannot buy it. However, due to economic hardship, Adivasis are selling their land through informal transactions to non-Adivasis. It has also been observed that non-Adivasis have better access to and support network among the local administration which often results in decisions being made in their favor in cases of disputes.
The BJP is also spreading the claim that Bangladeshi Muslims are marrying Adivasi women to loot their land. In this context, BJP leader Asha Lakra, a member of the Scheduled Tribes Commission, held a press conference on July 28 and released a list containing the names of 10 Adivasi women Panchayat representatives from the Santhal Pargana region and their Muslim husbands. She alleged that Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi infiltrators are trapping Adivasi women.
The fact-finding team met several of these women and found no case where a Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrator was involved in such marriages. Local villagers are also unaware of any such cases. Among the 10 women, 6 married local Muslims, and the husbands of three are Adivasis themselves.
There are many examples in the region of Adivasi women marrying non-Adivasis, both Hindus and Muslims. Adivasi women married non-Adivasi men by mutual choice and consent. It is also important to note that the dissemination of lists and personal information about these women on social media by political parties and individuals is a gross violation of their right to privacy.It is clear that the BJP aims to create social and political rifts between Adivasis, Hindus, and Muslims by declaring Muslims of this region as Bangladeshi infiltrators. Their objective is to create religious and social polarization before the Jharkhand Assembly elections.
The socio-economic problems faced by Adivasis in Santhal Pargana also reflect the failures of both past and current state governments. The government continues to demonstrate apathy towards the core issues of Adivasis in Santhal Pargana and other areas of the state, such as the weak economic condition of Adivasis, violation of the SPTA by non-Adivasis purchasing land, capture of government jobs by non-Adivasis and people from other states, inadequate nutrition, insufficient healthcare, and the low population growth rate of Adivasis due to economic hardship.
The Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha and the Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan make the following demands from the state government:
- Action should be taken against the BJP and any other leaders or social organizations for using terms like "Bangladeshi infiltrators," "land jihad," and "love jihad," which are used to spread communalism. Under no circumstances should they be allowed to disrupt the the fabric of society.
- In the incidents at Gaibathan, Taranagar-Ilami, Gopinathpur, Kulapahari, and KKM College, the police should take adequate action against the culprits. Severe action should be taken against police officers and personnel responsible for the violence against students in the KKM College hostel.
- The Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act should be strictly enforced. Under no circumstances should Adivasi land be sold to non-Adivasis. The revisional survey should be completed as soon as possible, and the survey report should be released. Fifth Schedule provisions and PESA (Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act) should be strictly implemented.
- The phone system established by the other district administrations of Santhal Pargana for the public to give information about Bangladeshi infiltrators should be immediately stopped.
- The state government should form a high level committee to study the economic condition of the Adivasis in all the fifth schedule areas of the state including Santhal Pargana, reasons for low population growth rate, settlement of non-Adivasis, capture of jobs by non-Adivasis, migration of Adivasis etc. The state government should take immediate action on the basic issues discussed in the report.
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*Click here for fact finding report
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