by William Gomes

At least 500 immigrants detained in Indian jails. Of these, 156 have already served the terms of custody. Many are arrested because they were considered "illegal" by New Delhi. India strengthens border control and sets up special units in prisons for those without a residence permit.

Dhaka (AsiaNews) - At least 500 Bangladeshis are detained in Indian jails, among them, 156 have already served terms in prison custody but the doors remain locked. Human rights organizations, are asking the government in Dhaka to take concrete steps to ensure the release of compatriots who often end up in jail because they are considered "illegal immigrants". On 11 May, a branch of the High Court presided over by Judge AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury also intervened, ordering the Foreign Ministry to "inform the Court within 10 days”, the fate of Bangladeshi nationals in Indian jails and" what steps the executive intends taking" to obtain their return.

Previously, on March 1 last year the High Court had asked the government - at the initiative of Supreme Court lawyer- Shahidul Islam, for clarification on the fate of 156 Bangladeshis. The court had granted "two weeks" time for concrete steps by the executive. However, nothing has changed for immigrants today - after one year - remain locked in the central prison of Bohorampur, in the Indian state of West Bengal. The Supreme Court lawyer launched a petition, following an article which appeared in February in Prothom Alo, a leading Bangladesh daily, which reported a hunger strike launched by prisoners in the cells.

The issue of illegal Bangladeshi migrants in India had already emerged in the past. In August 2008 the Delhi High Court rejected a petition by a young woman against a deportation order, stating that an illegal immigrant "is a threat to internal security of India". Earlier, in 2003, then Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes had claimed that there were at least 20 million illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India. An indictment stoutly denied by Dhaka, which replied: "there are no migrant Bangladeshis in India." However, in recent years New Delhi has ordered the construction of a wall to strengthen the borders between India and Bangladesh and has set up special prisons for "illegal immigrants" from Bangladesh.

Finally, the Center for Women and Children Studies reports a prostitution racket that affects thousands of Bangladeshi migrant women in India. In 1998 there were at least 20 thousand, but the phenomenon has not diminished over the years. Added to this is a discriminatory campaign launched by Hindu fundamentalist fringes against Bengali-speaking Muslims.  

• bangladesh
• india
• migration
• prison
• illegal
• high
• court
• human
• rights