After Assam, pre-polls foreigner-eviction frenzy in Maharashtra

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Ranjan Basu, New Delhi
Published : 07:30, Sep 13, 2019 | Updated : 07:30, Sep 13, 2019

People wait to check their names on the draft list at the National Register of Citizens (NRC) centre at a village in Nagaon district, Assam state, India, Jul 30, 2018. REUTERS/File PhotoThere is an indication that the controversial ‘real citizen’ identification drive of northeastern state of Assam in India may be replicated in Maharashtra of west India.
As part of that, the Maharashtra government has undertaken a step to construct a large Foreigners’ Detention Centre in Mumbai.
The Maharashtra government has already written to Mumbai City and Industrial Development Corporation, requesting to acquire a 450 square km area. Officials have confirmed that this land is being acquired to detain ‘illegal foreigners’.
Observers believe that this step has a link to the upcoming Bidhansabha election. Sociologist PK Shahjahan says: “Mumbai or Maharashtra tried to make the expulsion of illegal Bangladeshis a political issue prior to an election.”
Since voting is only a few months away, the process similar to Assam cannot be started but by talking about the detention centre, BJP-Shiv Sena is trying to prove that if they come to power, they will drive out so-called Bangladeshis.
Zakia Soman of Mumbai based Muslim Women’s Movement fears that the proposed centre will also harass the Bangla speaking Muslim populace.
Mumbai deports few Bangladeshi citizens every month which increases before votes, she said.
“I fear that Bengali Muslims of West Bengal, without proper papers, may be put into the detention centres.”
The National Register of Citizens, NRC, has become so delicate an issue that even the opposition party, Congress, is hesitant to oppose it.
BJP, Shiv Sena and other Hindutva parties claim that the pressure of illegal Bangladeshis has risen to such an extent that a detention centre becomes necessary.
An executive official of RSS influenced NGO, which has been working with illegal foreigners, Ravi Porknao, feels that such centres should have been developed long ago.
Hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants from Bangladesh are creating pressure on law and order and creating a threat on national security, he commented.
“They must be kept in detention centres and face legal process, punished and then returned.”

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