Browsing by Subject "Refugees"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

Open Access
Experiences of Refugee Women After Partition (1947-1962): A Case Study of the Jalpaiguri District, West Bengal
(University of North Bengal, 2020-03) Pal, Agnita
Partition and migration can be considered as a mirroring face of Indian independence. A huge number of refugees entered in India after partition, and among them a considerable number were women. This particular gender unfortunately bore the most lasting scars of partition, both physical and mental, as refugees on one hand and for being women on the other. Adjustment in the new land was very difficult, rather challenging for them. Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal is in fact flooded with the stories of sufferings of those women thereby containing a significant history frozen in the memories of those surviving eyewitnesses. This paper is an attempt to seek attention to those unknown parts of human history.
Open Access
Identity Politics, Ethnic Conflict and Altruistic Sentiments: Situating Assam in 1960
(University of North Bengal, 2024) Sen, Arpita
In Assam, the perennial discords between the indigenous/native Assamese and immigrant/refugee Bengalis have posed serious challenges to peaceful cohabitation and administration. The year 1960 proved tumultuous in Assam’s history as these two communities clashed with each other. This paper traces the roots of ethnic conflict in Assam to British colonial policy of encouraging Muslim Bengali immigrants from erstwhile East Bengal to clear forests and cultivate in Assam, (a flow which soon became unrestrained); the middle class educated Bengalis who threatened the livelihood of the Assamese in oil refineries, tea gardens, government services and business; the introduction of Bengali as the official language in Assam from 1826 to 1873; and the Sylhet Referendum in 1947 which ousted Sylhet from Assam and led to an unprecedented refugee influx that led to immense resentment among the Assamese. An attempt to declare Assamese as the state language fuelled Bengali discontent and led to the political radicalization of the Assamese. In 1960, violent clashes erupted, especially in the Bengali-speaking district of Cachar. The disturbances were politicized by the political parties in Assam. This article also highlights the humanitarian side of ethnic conflict, which often lies in obscurity, with an illustration of how the Assamese people helped and supported a Bengali family at the height of communal tensions, thus giving expression to altruistic sentiments.
Open Access
In quest of a new destination: study of refugees, resettlement and rehabilitation in North Bengal with special reference to women (1947-79)
(University of North Bengal, 2018) Mitra Guha, Madhuparna,; Bhattacharya, Dahlia
Open Access
Law on Acquisition of Indian Citizenship - A Godsend Avenue or Quagmire for Refugees and Migrant Population in North East India
(University of North Bengal, 2023-03) Rajkhowa, Sriparna
Citizenship is associated with certain prized rights on those conferred with on those legally qualified through the process of acquisition. This is all the more so in respect to refugees and stateless persons. Despite India lacking in an effective legal regime on refugees and stateless persons, such persons have been able to obtain citizenship. The author addresses the issue of citizenship in a holistic manner both from a theoretical perspective and implementation of the law through the application of the domestic legal regime which has been subjected to amendment from time to time. The issue is being addressed in the context of domestic and international imperatives also explores the pragmatic aspects and weaponisation indulged in. The principle of jus soli and gradual acceptance of the jus sanguinis being invoked has facilitated the process, befitting a section of the refugee population across the country and the North Eastern states in particular. In addressing the issue, apprehensions and regional compulsions shredded with historical factors have also been taken into account in the context of influx and delicate balance prompting concerns and contestations on the issue. These and other relevant and related concerns having the propensity to counter balance the fragile sociocultural factors have also been addressed.
Open Access
Refugee Children’s Right to Education in India: Legal Obligations and Implementation Realities
(University of North Bengal, 2024) Verma, Asha; Lal, Ruchi; Venaik, Superna
The right to education assumes primary significance for refugees as it’s crucial to preserving human rights and a clear link to their social and economic empowerment. In this context, the article analyses the international and domestic legal standards in India in protecting the education rights of refugees. Primary data has been collected using interview schedules. Personal interviews and participant observation are the other tools used to provide a thematic analysis of the qualitative data gathered from 200 refugees living in India. Through the analysis and interpretation of the data collected, some of the extensive barriers to education that refugees living in India face have been identified, and ground realities in terms of accessibility of universally recognised educational rights of refugees have also been highlighted. The findings from this study augment the limited empirical knowledge related to the area and expand understanding of the experiences of refugee children in accessing educational rights in India.