Hyderabad / Lucknow: Following the questions raised over the domicile status of children and teachers at a Madarasa in Jinnaram of Medak district in Telangana, district officials of Kishangunj of Bihar said the Bangladeshi cross-border infiltration into their district a reality.
Speaking to The Hans Inida, Kishangunj District Child Protection Officer, Ravi Shankar Tiwari said, “The district administration has not received any request from either the State or any district of Telangana seeking verification of anyone claiming Kishangunj as their domicile.”
Further, any request from the Telangana authorities would be taken seriously and the antecedents of domicile claims of Kishanganj will be verified.
When asked about the infiltration of Bangladeshis into the Kishangunj district, and they were allowed to spread to different parts of the country, another district official said, “The Kishangunj district is known as ‘chicken’s neck’ due to its narrow geographical area surrounded by Araria district in the West, Purnia district in the south-west, Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal on the east, and Darjeeling district of West Bengal and Nepal on the North. A narrow strip of West Bengal, about 20km wide separates it from Bangladesh.”
However, the problem is faced mainly from the Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal which has its border with Bangladesh. Places like Islampur of Uttar Dinajpur are prominent for providing fake Aadhaar cards, voter cards and other documents for the infiltrators to claim Indian nationality.
“Once identification cards like Aadhaar, voter and others are issued there is no way they could be stopped. Even whenever it was tried it turned into a major controversy making the officials get embroiled in it. Unless there is specific input, it is difficult to verify everyone coming from West Bengal,” he added.
However, Tiwari said that the Telangana officials can act. If any child protection official or police send us a request we will verify the claims of the children and teachers claiming a domicile of Kishangunj. If required the members of the child welfare committees of the Kishangunj and those from Telangana could inspect and if necessary produce before the committee to decide the issue of their domicile. Because the infiltration might also include child trafficking, which is a serious crime. However, Tiwari said, “We need a formal request from our Telangana counterparts.”
Meanwhile, the Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh has initiated a robust campaign against illegal encroachments and unrecognised madrassas in sensitive districts near the Indo-Nepal border.
When asked, a senior official said that for the fourth consecutive day till Thursday, bulldozers were deployed to dismantle numerous illegal religious structures and encroachments in these areas.
Additionally, unrecognised madrassas were targeted and sealed. “To date, hundreds of illegal encroachments have been removed as part of the efforts not only to strengthen law and order but is also viewed as a strategy to mitigate potential illegal activities across the border,” he added.