Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has expressed concern over the submissions made by the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of the six districts within the Santhal Division, who claimed that no infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals has occurred in the region. The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Daniel Danish and raised questions about the reasons behind the decline in the tribal population if no infiltration had taken place.
During the hearing, the court asked the DCs how the tribal population could have decreased without any infiltration and demanded an explanation for this demographic change. The court also reprimanded central agencies for their delayed responses and instructed them to submit their reports before the next hearing.
This scrutiny follows affidavits submitted by the DCs of Godda, Sahibganj, Deoghar, Jamtara, Pakud, and Dumka districts, asserting that no illegal infiltration had occurred in their respective areas. The High Court, in response, directed the authorities to provide detailed explanations and documentation related to Aadhar and Voter ID processing during the next hearing, scheduled for September 5.
Reacting to the court's observations, Babu Lal Marandi, the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), posted on social media platform X, highlighting the "bitter truth" of the decreasing tribal population in Jharkhand. Marandi alleged that the DCs had misled the court by concealing the reality of the declining tribal population.
Earlier, the court had instructed the DCs and central agencies to file status reports on the alleged Bangladeshi infiltration in the region. During a previous hearing, the court questioned why the state had not utilized the services of the special branch to identify illegal infiltrators. This question arose after the state government reported that local authorities, including the police, were struggling to identify such individuals.
The court also directed the DCs to identify infiltrators possessing documents like ration cards and voter cards based on the 'record of rights,' which pertain to land ownership and records. Additionally, notices were issued to the Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Director General of Border Security Force (BSF), the Director General of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), and the Chief Election Commissioner of India (ECI), seeking their responses.
Significantly, on July 3, the High Court had instructed both state and union governments to develop an action plan to identify and deport illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators from the tribal-dominated Santhal division. The PIL, filed by Daniel Danish, claimed that there was a noticeable increase in the establishment of Madrasas in the region, alongside incidents where illegal infiltrators were allegedly exploiting local women from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) community and occupying their lands through conversions and marriages. The petition also suggested the possible involvement of certain banned Bangladeshi groups in these activities, prompting the court to order the DCs to take action to prevent further illegal infiltration.
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