2.

Bangladesh's liberation war and refugee problem

In the early stages of Bangladesh's liberation war, the refugee problem became an
international issue from the regional crisis in India and South Asia. In fact, the transition from
indirect support to direct support of India in the overall activities of the Liberation War of
Bangladesh has been affected in various ways. In fact, the refugees coming to India from
Bangladesh is gradually affected the border states of India, Political Party of India, People of
India, Government of India. Many of the world's major and even international organizations,
including the United Nations, have been involved in the refugee crisis at various levels.

In the response of the massacre of Bengalis which started at midnight on March 25, 1971
through 'Operation Searchlight', millions of people sought refuge in villages and towns
bordering India in search of safety and security. The liberation war in Bangladesh and the
refugee problem can be analysed from several angles. The first question to be answered here
is, under what circumstances and which refugees were forced to take refuge in India?
Secondly, what was the number of refugees arriving in India? Thirdly, what kind of public
and private initiatives were taken to help all these advanced refugees and whether these
initiatives were justified? Fourthly, what was the attitude of other countries in the world
besides India towards the refugee problem? After all, how did the refugee problem affect the
position of India in the liberation war of Bangladesh?

Why Bengalis had to leave their homes and choose a refuge life in India? This can be
explained in two ways. One, indiscriminate genocide and mass rape by the Pak army. Two,
the shelter seekers are largely victims of ethnic discrimination for political reasons,
recognizing the racial nuisance, they were forced to leave their homes due to insecurity of
biodiversity and dignity. The indiscriminate genocide and gang rape of the Pakistani
occupying forces in the 1971 war against the atrocities committed against women in
Bangladesh, has no second instance of such evidence. Adolescents, pregnant women, old
women have not been forgiven by male animals. Wife in front of husband. In front of the
parents, the daughter, in front of the brother, the sister in public, in front of the eyes, not
thousands, but millions of women have been raped by the group of beasts. In March, a
horrific picture of Pak barbarism was found in Shankhari Bazaar, the main Hindu area of Old
Dhaka, according to an eyewitness, “…I entered every house in Shankhari Bazaar and saw
human corpses, men and women, old men and women, Boy girl, teenager, baby, horrible
rotten corpses ... Most of the girls' bodies I saw were completely naked, I saw that their
breasts had been removed from their chests. Some people have sticks inserted into the vagina.
I saw many burnt bodies, saw the ashes.”

Dr. M. A. Hussein wrote in his great research work- “The brutal killings, torture, persecution
of civilians regardless of religion, caste, gender or age, by Pakistani forces with the help of
accomplices or individually were of the type of slaughtering, stabbing with bayonets,
hanging, burning, burying the living, continuing long-term physical and emotional abuse,
abusing or fragmenting children, in various processes on women from children to old women
have been burned to death by perverted sexual lust. It is known from various information that
2 lakh Bengali women have been raped by the Pak army and the country killer-broker. In
1972, the government of Bangladesh conferred the title of Heroine on women victims of rape
and rape during the war has been declared a war crime by the International Commission of
Human Rights. This is all true. But the state policy and the values and pride of the Bengali
society did not change the position of women. The details of the numerous hellish atrocities,
genocides and tortures of women are available in the post-war details.”

This horrific atrocity has not escaped the eyes of contemporary foreigners. "Today's Dhaka is
a lifeless city with countless scars on its chest in the eyes of foreigners," Referring to Reuters
in the headline, Associated Correspondent Mr. Rosen Broom wrote in the Anandabazar
newspaper- “A lifeless city before my eyes, deep scars all over its body. With blood stains,
she is limping forward to get back to normal.” Rosen Broom also wrote: “Dhaka's one lakh
inhabitants - whom I've always seen crowded on the streets - A very insignificant part of it is
in the city today. The Hindu neighbourhood that surrounds Ramna Kalibari in the green grass
of Dhaka Racecourse, today there is nothing left other than many burnt and ruined houses.
There are few crows in the sky of that cemetery and few children are standing against the
burnt houses on the ground. It seemed that they were the new beggars.” Referring to P.T.I., it
was written in Anandabazar newspaper, the Pakistani ambassador to the United States has
repeatedly admitted that Bangladesh is the target of Pak militancy. Referring to Reuters,
Anandabazar wrote, a spokesman from Bangladesh in Washington said, ‘At least two and a
half lakh people have died in East Bengal since the liberation war started in March.’ Sheikh
Mujibur's chief economic adviser Shri Rahman Sovan who was a professor of economics at
Dhaka University, He told a news conference that most of those killed by the army were
unarmed and civilians. He further wrote that at least 50,000 people have died in Dhaka alone.
More than 60 thousand in Chittagong. The death toll in small towns and affected villages will
be at least one lakh and this genocide was carried out by an orderly professional army- And
they have carried it out as per the order of the commander-in-chief, Pakistani President
General Yahiya Khan. Mr. Cornelius Galmamar, a member of the US Congress, told the
members of the Kolkata Press Club that the news of the mass genocide in East Bengal and
the brutal atrocities of the Pak army on millions of people which have been published in
various newspapers, are not at all exaggerated. Galmamar further wrote, such cruel atrocities
against people have taken place in East Bengal, I, from America, could not have imagined the
plight of Bangladeshi refugees. Michelle Laurent in The Times on March 30, 1971, ‘At
Dacca University the Burning Bodies of the Students Still Lay in Their Dormitory
Beds… A Mass Grave Had Been Hastily Covered…’ under this title The Times (London)
on April 2, 1971 Louis Heren, ‘Political and Intellectual Leaders Being Wiped Out in
War of Genocide with this title The New Nation newspaper Singapore on April 6, 1971,
The Holocaust in East Pakistan Must Be Ended the editorial article under this title, The
Times London on May 19, 1971, Peter Hazelhurst- titled ‘Road of death’, there are also
numerous other accounts of genocide and torture.

Numerous accounts of genocide and torture are found in Indian newspapers as well. Like- On
April 3, 1971, Debabrata Mukherjee, an eyewitness, described the genocide and torture under
this heading ‘To what future they will move from here’. In this headline, ‘Evacuees
Narrate Army Atrocities’ on12th April 1971 in Hindustan Standard, Narayan Das presented
the brutal details of the genocide. The headline ‘900 Refugees Killed on way to India’
covered the brutal killings of refugees. Thus the brutal account of the genocide is found in
Jugantar on May 9, 1971, the National Herald on May 22, 1971, and the Statesman on May
23, 1971. Brutal pictures of the genocide were published in Sandh Ganashakti and
Anandabazar.

In this context, the people of East Bengal started taking refuge in India from April 1971.
However, besides India, Bangladesh also has land borders with Burma (now Myanmar). In
fact, 93.87% of the total border of Bangladesh is with India and 6.13% is with Myanmar.
Bangladesh has a total border of 4150 km with India and 261 km with Myanmar. Even
though Chakma chief Raja Tridib Roy sided with Pakistan and despite it being risky and
difficult for the Bengalis to go through the Chittagong Hill Tracts, in the first week of June,
about 5,000 refugees were forced to take refuge in Burma. However, as a result of the
Burmese government's policy towards Pakistan, the majority of Bengalis had no choice but to
come to India. Apart from this geographical and political issue, there are several other
important reasons behind the large number of Bangladeshi refugees coming to India. First,
the history and traditional long-standing relationship of the people of East Bengal with the
Bengali-speaking people bordering India. Second, the essence of the notion of Kautilya's
diplomatic relations ‘The enemy of the enemy is the ally’ worked in their consciousness.
Above all, out of ethnic consciousness, they found their safe shelter in India. Among the
small group of refugees who took refuge in India in the first week of April, although there
was a communal (Hindu-Muslim) number among them, the number of Hindus started
increasing since May. Analyzing the reasons for emigration, Yahya's cabinet member G. W.
Choudhury stated that, the indiscriminate killing of thousands of helpless, innocent women,
the elderly and the sick, and even children by the Pak army has resulted in millions of
Bengalis taking refuge in neighbouring countries. Proposing a demand to recognize the
independent and sovereign Bangladesh and according to the minutes of the Rajya Sabha (on
July 31, 1971), analyzing the reasons for such emigration, Mr. Sundar Singh Bhandari said,
“The devastation of Bangladesh is in the land of India today. Why did they come to India?
Why not enter Burma which is nearer to Bangladesh on the other end, why choose India? It is
about a history which is not related to Bangladesh, it is an old history. The answer is the
historical year 1947. The oppressed people of Pakistan came to India, the people of
Bangladesh too could not do anything unprecedented. The freedom supporters came to India
thinking that it was an easy way to survive after being tortured by the Pakistani soldiers.” In
the besieged Bangladesh since the second week of May, the unimaginable increase in
extrajudicial killings and gang rapes has led to an influx of refugees to various states
bordering India. Union Minister of Labour and Rehabilitation in the Rajya Sabha R. K.
Khadilkar made a statement about the huge influx of refugees from East Bengal to India on
May 24, 1971. It said- Refugees in the border states of West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and
Tripura have been forced to take refuge since the last week of March as a result of
unspeakable torture by the Pakistani army in East Bengal. In support of his statement, he
gave the following information about the arrival of refugees in the Rajya Sabha.
 1. Week Ending 17.04.1971 1,19,566 persons

2. Week Ending 24.04.1971 5,36,308 persons

3. Week Ending 01.05.1971 12,51,544 persons

4. Week Ending 07.05.1971 15,72,220 persons

5. Week Ending 14.05.1971 26,69,226 persons

6. Week Ending 21.05.1971 34,35,243 persons

The picture of refugee arrivals all over India is as follows:

1. Total Influx (as on 31-8-1971) 82,81,220

In camps 57,37,264
Outside Camps 25,43,956

2. Progressive Influx Total

Influx

Week Ending 17-4-71 1,19,566 1,19,566

Week Ending 24-4-71 5,36,308 6,55,874
Week Ending 1-5-71 2,11,554 8,67,428
Week Ending 8-5-71 7,04,792 15,72,220
Week Ending 15-5-71 8,27,447 23,99,667
Week Ending 22-5-71 9,72,264 33,71,931
Week Ending 29-5-71 3,16,419 36,88,350
Week Ending 5-6-71 12,94,442 49,82,792
Week Ending 12-6-71 7,84,380 57,67,172
Week Ending 19-6-71 1,36,267 59,23,439
Week Ending 26-6-71 3,72,559 63,25,998
Week Ending 3-7-71 2,15,448 65,41,446
Week Ending 10-7-71 2,88,414 67,33,076
Week Ending 17-7-71 37,336 70,21,490
Week Ending 24-7-71 74,178 70,58,826
Week Ending 31-7-71 2,31,975 71,33,004
Week Ending 7-8-71 2,02,278 73,64,979
Week Ending 14-8-71 4,51,486 75,67,257
Week Ending 21-8-71 2,38,061 80,18,743
 Week Ending 28-8-71 - 82,56,804

In the context of this huge influx of refugees, Father W. Tim gave a painful account of the
extermination of Bengali Hindus and Biharis by the Pakistan army. At the same time, he said
that the military crowd without the support of the occupied Bangladesh was distributing the
property of the evicted Hindus among some confused and greedy Muslims. Thus began the
massive eviction of Hindus and their expulsion to India. The following statistics will make it
clear-

Communal Composition

(as on 16-08-1971) Hindus 69.71 lakhs

Muslims 5.41 lakhs
Others 0.44 lakhs

Analyzing the statistics of refugees arriving in different states of India since March 1971, a
picture can be found of the size of the refugee problem in India. It is given in the following
table-

Serial Number (1) Name of the State (2) Total Influx (3)
1 West Bengal 7,493,474
2 Tripura 1,416,491
3 Meghalaya 677,986
4 Assam 312,713
5 Bihar 8,641
9,899,305 (Total)

The following is a picture of the number of refugee camps in different states of India, number
of refugees in refugee camps and the number of refugees outside the refugee scene: As of
December 15, 1971:

Serial Name of the Number of In Camps Outside Total (6)

Number (1) state (2) camps (3) (4) Camps (5)
1 West Bengal 492 4,849,786 2,386,130 7,235,916
2 Tripura 276 834,098 547,551 1,381,649
3 Meghalaya 17 591,520 76,466 667,986
4 Assam 28 225,642 91,913 347,555
5 Bihar 8 36,732 - 36,732
6 Madhya 3 219,298 - 219,298
Pradesh
7 Uttar 1 10,169 - 10,169
Pradesh
825 6,797,245 3,102,060 9,899,305
On the other hand, the State Government of West Bengal upholds a picture of refugees living
in different districts of West Bengal, till June 1971 is as follows-

State or District In Reception Centres With Friends or Relatives

Assam 81,800 65,677
Tripura 381,373 363,464
Meghalaya 186,052 49,332
West Bengal
Nadia 214,788 170,951
24-Parganas 503,467 179,250
Maushidabad 134,507 15,953
West- Dinajpur 768,644 511,555
Jalpaiguri 140,402 165,000
Coach-Behar 189,755 210,874
Malda 92,139 254,513
2,707,947 2,022,570

Refugees were initially suppressed. The above figures show the border states of West Bengal,
Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya. But most of the refugees took refuge in West Bengal and
then Tripura. It is assumed that the Bengalis, being Bengali-speaking, were more
compassionate and had sympathy for the refugees in these two states. Various Socio-Cultural
Organizations, Professional Organizations, Labour Organizations, Commercial
Organizations, School, College, University student-teacher staff volunteered to help the
refugees from Bangladesh. The Golden Terek Company contributed Rs. 1 lakh to the Prime
Minister's Fund to help the refugees in Bangladesh. In New Delhi, the managing director of
the company, Mr. Chhatrabhukta Narsi, handed over the check to the Prime Minister. Tata
group of organizations started relief work for injured refugees from Bangladesh. The Tata
Group of Companies allocates Rs. 10 lakhs for a Tata support team consisting of doctors,
social workers and engineers. Besides, each organization and Tata Trust gave one lakh rupees
to Bangladesh Aid Committee. Employees of TISCO, Telco, Indian Tube have given one
lakh and thirty-four thousand rupees for the relief work. The Director of Tata Iron and Steel
Company, Shri R.S. Pandey during his managing days, the Tata Assistance Team oversees
health and drinking water facilities at Kisanganj Refugee Camp in Purnia District, Bihar. On
behalf of the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, the captain of the club, Shri B.M. Khaitan, on
Monday, the Governor of West Bengal Shri A.L. Dias handed over a check of forty-six
thousand rupees to help the refugees in Bangladesh. The Eastern Branch of the General
Insurance Employees' Association paid Rs.57777 to Bangladesh Mission. Students of Central
Kolkata National School (Girls) and Middle National School, students, teachers gave 285
rupees and a radio to the freedom fighters. The West Bengal Non-Registered Doctors'
Association donated Rs. 501 to the fund for the freedom fighters. The Maharaja of Sikkim
donated three ambulances to the Bangladesh Supportive Association for the use of refugees.
On this occasion, Chogyan said that the recent events in Bangladesh and sympathy of India
and other countries and in spite of the help, the indigenous people of Sikkim are distressed by
the plight of these unfortunate victims. On 5th April, with the help of Bangladesh led by the
Chief Minister of West Bengal, 'Muktisangram' Sahayak Samiti was formed. After a meeting
of the association that day, President Shri Ajay Mukherjee told reporters that donors send
money in money order checks. 34 Mirror Street - their office (phone - 24 - 2020) has been
opened. There donations are accepted with receipts. It was decided that on a Sunday (11th of
April) they would go out to collect relief’s money in a container. Mr. Mukherjee further said
that they will collect money and other items from the people of the state. Arrange necessary
medicines, medical equipment, diet etc. for the freedom fighters and will be assisted by
physicians. Collect blood (plasma) for injured freedom fighters. Send food, clothing, etc. to
border areas. All possible help will be given to those who will be forced to move across the
border from Bangladesh. On the same day, the Bengal Provincial Bank Employees
Association said in a statement- Bank worker will help the freedom fighters with their one
day's salary. An application was written on behalf of 'Bangladesh-Supporting Artists-
Literary-Intellectual Association', “-People of West Bengal whether they live on highways,
slums, cottages or buildings. Come forward with as much help as you can. 144 Lenin Street,
Kolkata-13 (Telephone - 24-3930) this is the address of the association's office, which is open
every evening from 7 pm to 8 pm with appropriate receipts you will be accepted with thanks
for your assistance”. More was written,” People of West Bengal whether they live in
highways, slums, cottages or buildings, where ever they live on, donate blood by visiting the
office of the Indian Medical Association (64, Lenin Sarani, Kolkata-13, from 2 to 6 p.m.).
Your love will be gratefully accepted.” It was written in Amritbazar newspaper mentioning
the source from PTI-

The Rajasthan cabinet today decided to contribute Rs. 10 lakhs towards Bangladesh relief
fund. This was announced by the Chief Minister, Mohanlal Sukhadia, in the Rajasthan
Legislative Assembly today.

Shri Guru President of that meeting, on behalf of Sardar Meher Singh’s poor Sikh community
donated a check of Rs. 5100 for the citizens of Bangladesh in the hands of West Bengal’s
chief minister Ajay Kumar Mukherjee. ‘The Federation of Association of Small Industries Of
India’ appealed to all the small industrialists of West Bengal. Eastern Regional Office at p-
31, CIT Road, Calcutta- 14, this office was the location of the donation. The Ramakrishna
Birthday Celebration Committee of Saradapalli, Bhadreshwar, Hooghly District, donated
Rs.100 to the Ramakrishna Mission fund to help the needy people of Bangladesh. ‘The
Calcutta Motors Dealer Association’- On behalf of them, Rs. 10,000 were handed to the
Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of West Bengal on 8th April. An application
signed by thirteen intellectuals of West Bengal called on the people of India to help the
refugees. The report published in Amrit Bazar newspaper on this regard was –

An appeal was made to the public in general and the manufactures in particular to
come forward with their contribution, either in cash or in kind. The following articles were
urgently needed at this moment foe relief work- Petrol and mobile oil in tins, cycles, tyres
and tubes, torch and batteries, water bottles, rubber shoes, matches, milk powder and salt,
mustard oil and kerosene, T.A.B.C. injections, vaccines and all types of medicine, necessary
for First Aid. The donation in cash or kind could be sent to Mr. Santosh Ghosh, Treasurer
(107/C A.M. Road, Calcutta- 25, phone-47-2020), Sangrami Swadhin Bangladesh Sahayak
Samiti (1A- College Row Calcutta, phone 34-7211) between 6pm and 9 pm.
The Bangladesh ‘Supportive Association ‘was formed on 24th April 1971 in Bombay. The
purpose of the committee was to help the oppressed people of Bangladesh. The purpose of
the committee was to help the oppressed people of Bangladesh. Begum Mahbub Nasrulla is
the secretary of this association and Shri Salil Ghosh is the Joint Secretary of the Committee.
Srimati Wahida Rahman and Sharmila Thakur joined as Vice Chairman of the Committee.
On April 25, Anandabazar published a news item titled 'Inspector Teacher'- “The professors
of different universities and colleges of Bangladesh who have migrated to West Bengal are
the students of Calcutta University, was decided to hire them as 'visiting teachers' for at least
six months. An application is made to the University's Wages Commission and the
Government Rehabilitation Department for the money required. The following decision was
taken on the suggestion of the Vice Chancellor Dr. Satyen. On 3rd April 1971,’ Calcutta
University Bangladesh Sahayak’ organization was formed. In addition to providing assistance
to refugees, the organization has been active in sending relief supplies to war-torn
Bangladesh. On May 9, 1981, the Secretary-General's report was written:

Since its inception the committee has been rendering considerable assistance to the war
evacuees. Apart from food packets, medicine, and first aid eqipments have been sent.
Because of the heavy infux or war evacuees whose number has already crossed fifteen lakhs-
we have had to spend several thousands of rupees and considerable energy in this sphere,
[Link] Bhowmick( An alumnus of the University) along with a small team of Sm. Meera
Sen and others has rendered us considerable assistance in this matter. Teachers and students
or schools and colleges also have lent a raedy hand.
There was more written in the report-

Our President issued an appeal (Both in English and Bengali) to the people, especially to the
alumni of the University, for Liberal donations to the fund of the Samiti. The response has
been encouraging. The first to donate was our National Professor, Shri Satyendranath Bose.
Others to donate in quick succession were Krishanagar Women’s college, Calcutta Lady
Brabourne College, Bethune School, teachers and staff of Dr. B.C. Roy Institute of Basic
Medicine, Calcutta University , 61 teachers of postgraduate Departments of the University,
Students of Economics, Political Science,Islamic History,Modern History and English
Departments of the University, Bharat Charity Trust through Mr. N.L. Todi, Messers Press
Agents Pvt. Ltd., Allied Agency, Staff to Pasteur Laboratories, Sidhhewar Hosiery Factory,
Gokhale Memorial Girls College, Umesh Chandra College, Bangladesh Aid Committee,
Bombay; Shri H.P. Lohia, The Anglo India Jute Mill (Officers and Workers), Shri Ajit
Kumar Dutta, former Advocate General Government of West Bengal, Fther P. Fallon,S.J.
Shri Amitesh Banerjee, Principal Nirodh Kumar Bhatacharyya, Principal Mmata Adhikary
and many others froma all walks of life. Free gifts of medicine were collected by Shri Utpal
Chowdhury and Sm Soma Chatterjee. University students of all departments are raising funds
on behalf of the Samiti. We hope the number of donors will swell daily to help us tackle the
gigantic task.
The first toll 14 of the Dwarbhanga building, Bidhan Sarani, was mentioned as the office of
the committee.
The leaflet of an organization called Youth for Bangladesh called for three types of assistance
to fulfil its responsibilities towards refugees. Firstly, volunteer donations to refugee camps.
Secondly, appeal to all young people to help doing organizational work, and thirdly financial
grants were applied for in the refugee camps. This application was signed by Mihir Sen as
Chairman. The address of the office was written in this application form as-
YOUTH FOR BANGLADESH, 14, EZRA MANSION, CALCUTTA- 1, DATED-
JUNE 10,1971.
One thing that becomes clear is the review of the above private level activities regarding the
refugees in Bangladesh from India, that in India, there was a wave of sympathy and support
for the refugees and freedom fighters across the country. Students, teachers, women
intellectuals at all levels feel the strong urge to fulfil the responsibility towards the refugees
of Bangladesh, from this urge various types of organizations were formed. In addition to
providing government financial assistance to the refugees in Bangladesh, they were raising
public opinion and funds. However, their efforts are inadequate in view of the large influx of
refugees.
In addition to this private initiative, the states in India where refugees have sought refuge,
the governments of those states also took various steps regarding the refugees. On April 21,
the Health Minister of the Government of West Bengal, Dr. Joynal Abedin, stated that-
Health centres have been opened at various places along the border for refugees from
Bangladesh. Autonomy Minister Mohammad Rauf Ansari said, CMD will provide modern
living facilities for 100 slums in 100 wards of Kolkata. The headline in the Statesman
‘Government of West Bengal calls on all states to come forward to help Bangladesh's
refugees', under this headline the news was published that it was not possible to provide food,
shelter and health care to the refugees in West Bengal. Other states of India should also come
forward in this regard as they are also compassionate in the case of Bangladesh. In this
context, Union Minister for Labour, Employment and Rehabilitation RK Khadilkar told in
Delhi that, the central government will bear all the expenses for the relief work of the
refugees. On the same day, the West Bengal cabinet formed a sub-committee to look into the
issue of refugees. Where Finance Minister Tarun Kanti Ghosh, PWD Minister Santosh Roy
and Minister of Rehabilitation Anand Mohan Biswas were present. On the same day 'The
Statesman' newspaper wrote, referring to a Delhi-based reporter:
Mr Khadilkar did not naturally want to specify the amount, but having ‘regard
to humanitarian consideration’, the centre was prepared to bear the ‘heavy burden’
and would give ‘whatever money is required to help the large number of people being
forced out of East Bengal’.
On the same day, the Union Minister for Labour, Employment and Rehabilitation answered
various questions of the journalists the answers they gave are as follows:
They said the large number of refugees was a burden, adding to that they said at present there
are 89600 refugees in refugee camps and the remaining 169100 refugees were at their
friend’s and relative’s home. Giving an account of the number of refugees in the refugee
camps, he said that out of 89600 refugees 61800 refugees took refuge in West Bengal alone.
10700 refugees were in Assam and Meghalaya and 17100 refugees were in Tripura.
According to the calculations, the number of refugees staying at the homes of their friends
and relatives in West Bengal were estimated at 151400, in Assam and Meghalaya 7700
refugees and in Triura 10000 refugees. In response to another question, they said that the
relief operation is under the supervision of the Ministry of Rehabilitation, an additional
sectary was appointed as the branch secretary of Calcutta. Its additional office was opened at
Assam and Tripura. The reception centre has opened and the number of centres will be
increased as needed. The Government of Bengal would open a completely separate section to
provide shelter, food and other necessities to the newly arrived refugees. A Director General
will be in charge of the department. And his rank would probably be equivalent to that of a
commissioner’s rank. After a detailed discussion in the cabinet meeting, the state government
decided that, for the border districts, 9 additional district governors will be appointed. They
will be relied upon to provide healthy staff in each district to meet and listen to the refugees.
The then Governor Shri Shanti Swarup Dhawan’s speech at the West Bengal Legislative
Assembly on the question of refugee asylum, the policy of government of West Bengal as
well as the central government would be to grant asylum to all asylum seekers from
Bangladesh who seek asylum on Indian soil. In his speech, the Governor expressed his
displeasure and said that unprecedented devastated refugees have been arriving from
Bangladesh since the last few days of March 1971, as a result, food security and safety issues
are becoming more complex. It is estimated that more than ten lakhs men and women have
crossed the border and the tide of unprecedented refugees are still flowing. Leader of the
Opposition party Shri Jyoti Basu, CPI (M) Minister Shri Hare Krishna Kangar, Deputy Chief
Minister Shri Vijay Singh Nihar, Health Minister Dr: Joynal Abedin, CPI leader Shri
Biswanath Mukherjee, United Left Front convener Shri Sudhin Kumar and SIUC Minister
Shri Subodh Banerjee visited the Chief Minister Shri Ajay Mukherjee’s house after the
assembly session on the same day and jointly formulated unanimous resolution on
Bangladesh. This unanimous resolution was unanimously adopted by the West Bengal
Legislative Assembly on 8th May. Few of them who participate in the debate over this
proposal were Shri Jyoti Basu, Shri Mohammad Saman Biswas, Shri Subodh Banerjee, Shri
Subrata Mukherjee, Shri Abdut Sattar, Shri Samshudhin Ahmed, Shri Sudhin Kushan, Shri
Shankar Ghosh, Shri Ram Chatterjee, Shri Biswanath Mukherjee, Shri Sushil Kumar dhara,
Shri Shyamacharan Murmu, Shri Gobindrachandra Mondal, Shri Birendra Narayan Roy, Shri
Debiprashad Basu, Shri Joynal Abedin, Shri Mansoor Habibulla, Srimati Gita Mukherjee,
Shri Radha Gobinda Vishal, Shri Hare Krishna Kangar, Shri Mohammad Eliyas Raji, Shri
Kalikanta Maitra, Shri Anil Kumar Manna, Shri Prayag Mondal, Shri Ajit Kumar Ganguly,
Shri Mohammad Samasun Biswas, Shri Mohammad Amin, Shri Prafulla Kamar Sarkar, Shri
Gopal Basu, Shri Dilip Kumar Roy, Shri Timir Baran Bhaduri, Shri Sudhir Chandra Bera,
Shri A.H. Besterwich, Shri Ajit Kumar Paja, prominent people. The resolution unanimously
adopted at the end of the debate is-"Among the outstanding and historic achievements of the
Awami League led by Mujibur Rahman in the elections held last December, the military ruler
of Pakistan against the seven and a half crore people of Bangladesh by trampling on the clear
opinion of the people, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly strongly condemns the hellish
genocidal campaign in Pakistan's military cycle, and unwavering support for the people of
Bangladesh who are fighting for full national independence and he also congratulated the
struggling people” .Pakistan's military regime is forced to stop this barbaric genocide and
withdraw all its troops from Bangladesh, the Legislative Assembly is appealing to the
Governments of India and other countries to take appropriate action.
The West Bengal Legislative Assembly hopes that no matter how severe and unfavourable
their struggle may be at present, the struggling people of Bangladesh will win. This meeting
further hopes that, since this blood-shredded struggle was imposed on the unarmed people of
Bangladesh by the military ruling clique of Pakistan equipped with all kinds of modern lethal
weapons and it is a very just struggle for national independence so it is not just for the
national people, but it will receive increasingly active support from the people of other
countries of the world and even from the various states of Pakistan. Considering India's part
and urgent duty towards the death struggle for Bangladesh's national independence this
Assembly has demanded from the Government of India that, recognition of the Sovereign
Democratic Republic of Bangladesh and its government and along with arms all necessary
practical assistance would to be provided. As lakhs of men and women of Bangladesh have
shredded their blood, the people of West Bengal will not agree to anything less.
The longer it takes to take action, the greater the grief, misery and humiliation of the people
of Bangladesh. The assembly and the people of West Bengal are deeply concerned about this.
This situation puts the necessary pressure on the Government of India to accept the demands,
the Legislative Assembly called on the people of West Bengal and the government to create
pressure.
In the face of widespread genocide, the targets of Bangladesh were women, men, children,
the elderly, have been forced to cross the border into West Bengal. As an integral part of
goodwill and humanity, it is imperative for them to make all necessary arrangements. It is
beyond the financial capacity of West Bengal and its adjoining border states. Considering this
difficult fact, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly has demanded the Government of India
to bear all the expenses in this regard.
The growing refugee problem in the country led to a meeting of the chief ministers of the five
eastern states on May 8. In which Mr. Santosh Roy and Dr. Joynal Abedin joined as members
of the Bangladesh sub-committee in the Cabinet. The meeting was attended by Assam Chief
Minister Shri Mahendra Mohan Chowdhury, Bihar Chief Minister Shri Kapuri Thakur,
Tripura Chief Minister Sachindralal Singh, Meghalaya Chief Minister Iliamson Sangma and
West Bengal Chief Minister Shri Ajay Kumar Mukherjee discussed for about two hours.
Besides, West Bengal Chief Minister Vijay Singh Nahar was present at the meeting in which
Santosh Roy and Dr. Joynal Abedin were members of the Bangladesh subcommittee in the
cabinet.

It was decided at the meeting that they would request the Centre not only to consider the
issue of refugees from Bangladesh as a problem of the respective states, but to consider it as a
National Problem. The reason given was that the problem was too serious for the states
concerned to bear, in many places these refugees have no cover over their heads. The supply
of food grains sanctioned by the central government in a controlled manner is irregular. The
supply of salt, sugar, kerosene, utensils and clothes is always negligible. As a result of the
vehicle crisis, the delivery system is also being disrupted. There have been problems with
maintaining good health. News is coming that cholera is appearing. After the meeting, West
Bengal Chief Minister Shri Ajay Kumar Mukherjee answered the questions of the journalists
saying that the centre will provide all the money it needs to provide shelter and food for these
large numbers of refugees besides, there are many other questions and problems like
maintaining law and order. It was decided at the meeting that the Centre would have to pay
for more security and policing at the border. At the same time, the Chief Ministers hope that
at their request, the Government of India will come forward to carry out this chief
responsibility. The Chief Ministers have intended to appeal to international organizations and
all independent states to take part in India's responsibility on humanitarian issues. As a result
of the meeting, the Chief Ministers of five states, Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Meghalaya and
West Bengal, discussed with the Prime Minister the issue of refugee resettlement in Delhi.
On June 5, 1971, Jugantar reported a news under the headline- "the Minister of State will
demand a meeting with the Prime Minister" - Refugees must be sent out of West Bengal’
which stated a number of demands and concerns as expressed by the West Bengal State
Cabinet and it was claimed to be presented before the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Firstly,
the central government will have to take full responsibility for the protection of about half-a
crore refugee from Bangladesh because the state government has not been able to tackle the
problem of refugee arrivals despite its full capacity. Secondly, they should be relocated to
other states in India where camps should be set up camps for them or else the economy of
West Bengal will have a complete breakdown. Thirdly, the refugee problem has shown signs
of deteriorating law and order at the local level. Above all, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Vijay
Singh Nahar said in response to a question from reporters, now all the development work in
West Bengal is about to stop, we can't provide them shelter, we can't provide them food. At
the same time, it was alleged that the central government was not taking full responsibility for
the protection of refugees. Shri Ananda Mohan Biswas, Minister of State in the Relief
Department of West Bengal, complained that the importance which should be given to the
refugee issue by the Central Government, is not given.

In view of the huge influx of refugees in West Bengal and the various crises, discussions
were underway at various levels to ensure that the responsibility for refugees was borne by
other state governments as well. The refugee problem is not only putting pressure on the
economy of West Bengal, but also the law and order, situation and administration are also
under threat. Because the state government is struggling to deal with the refugee problem. In
addition, the situation is being made more complicated by communalism. On June 7, CPI
Secretary General Rajeshwar Rao said in a statement-

Tension was developing between the evacuees and local population and there was every
danger of communal riots breaking out on a wide scale.

The administrative and economic situation in West Bengal is on the verge of collapse. Due to
the poisonous vapour of communalism, politics became an explosion. In such a situation, the
Indian government was forced to change its earlier decision on the issue of refugees.
Changing the policy of resettlement of refugees only in the border areas, Initiatives to
relocate refugees to different states were taken. Although West Bengal has been claiming
from the very beginning of the refugee problem, to bring the pressure of refugees from West
Bengal to a reasonable level. West Bengal Health Minister and Chairman of the Cabinet Sub-
Committee on Refugees Dr. Joynal Abedin informed that the Central Government has made
arrangements for sheltering around three lakh refugees in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar
Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. But the refugees are resistant in leaving West Bengal and
settling anywhere else. If 1,000 refugees are taken on two trains to relocate to various camps
in Madhya Pradesh, 800 of them refuses to go. In this situation, it has become difficult to
alleviate the burden of refugees on West Bengal.

However, in the Lok Sabha, Deputy Minister for Labour and Rehabilitation Shri Balgovind
Sharma announced that, about 25 lakh refugees from Bangladesh to West Bengal and Tripura
will be relocated to several neighbouring states. These neighbouring states are Bihar, Orissa,
Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. No one will be forced, they will be persuaded with
proper understanding. Arrangements will be made to send and accommodate people from the
same village in the same place.

But will Orissa provide shelter to refugees? PTI’s News from Bhubaneswar on the same day:
In a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shri Bishwanath Das, the Front Cabinet in Orissa
decided that, Refugees from Bangladesh... (maybe there was a discussion done on not to
provide shelter). The decision that was taken at a meeting of the Orissa Chief Minister on
July 16 with political leaders on the issue of asylum seekers from Bangladesh, was-

The State Government has rejected the centre’s desire to settle about 50,000 refugees in
the Gorumahisani area of Mayurbhanj district because of some “special problems” of
that area and had suggested some alternative sites.

One of the reasons given out by the Rehabilitation Minister, Mr. Brindaban Nayak, in
the State Assembly was that none of the Union Ministers had contacted the State
Government leaders in this regard and no such decision should have been imposed
without prior consultation.

At the same time, in the meeting it was told that the matter could be considered in the light of
the letter received from the Prime Minister. Following a letter from the Prime Minister, the
Orissa government on July 22 rejected the decision. Leaders of all political parties in the
Orissa Legislative Assembly and even Mr. Binayak Acharya (Ruling Congress Opposition
Leader) said in the meeting-

Mayurbhanj district was ‘not at all a suitable area’ for sheltering Bangladesh evacuees.

After the meeting, the then Chief Minister of Orissa Mr. Bishwanath Das said in a press
conference-

The meeting agreed with an approved three alternative sites- two in Koraput and one in
Boudh- Phulbani District- as suggested by the State Government for sheltering the
evacuees.

In his response to the Prime Minister's request-

He had written expressing the ‘Difficulties of the state Government in those areas’. The
difficulties were economic, administrative, law and security reasons.

Naturally, the idea of sending refugees to different states was not implemented at the central
level. It was reported in a news item on July 26, published under the headline 'Refugee
repatriation is degrading' that The state government feels that the rate at which refugees are
being taken out of West Bengal is disappointing. As a result of the Centre's snail movement,
refugee aid systems have already collapsed in many areas along the border. Food, diet,
medicine and shelter for millions of refugees have not been forthcoming. If the concerned
department of the state government continues in this way, the flow of refugees will soon be
forced in Kolkata and surrounding areas. According to the department, 52 lakhs 72 thousand
150 refugees have arrived in West Bengal till Thursday. Of this, only 1 lakh 35 thousand
have been taken out of West Bengal. Of these, 1,16,270 have been sent to Gaya, 11,300 in
Uttar Pradesh and 8,536 in Iradatganj so far. A spokesman for the department said that so far
even 1.5 lakh refugees have not been relocated to other states where as 25 lakhs have been
demanded to be sent out in a month.

So far, 8,886 people have been sent to newly constructed camps in Bankura and Midnapur
districts in West Bengal, of these, 3,488 people were sent to Shalbani and Vrindavanpur,
2,145 to Jambani and 3254 to Bakura Peardboy.

Indrajit Gupta (West Bengal Communist Party of India, CPI) in Lok Sabha reported refusal
of some states to accommodate Bangladesh evacuees on June 11. The title offers interesting
suggestions. Deputy Minister of Labour and Rehabilitation Balgovind Burma outlined the
Government of India's policy on refugees issue from Bangladesh. Government policy is to
resettle as many refugees from East Bengal as possible along the border, so that they can
easily return to their homeland when the situation returns to normalcy. With full
psychological consideration, the Government of India is providing relief assistance to the
refugees. But then the endless influx of refugees created an unbearable situation in the border
states of West Bengal and Tripura and the concerned state governments expressed their
inability to address this issue. In order to alleviate some of the migration to the two states, the
decision to relocate refugees to a larger camp in another state or to the interior lands of West
Bengal and Tripura has been taken. These camps will be run under the direct supervision of
the Central Government. The government has planned to relocate 25 lakhs refugees on
central government land as far as possible. Criticizing the government's move, Indrajit Gupta
said, this plan is contradictory because how is the migration issue of West Bengal and Tripura
alleviated if they are relocated within these two states? The above mentioned refugees also do
not want to leave West Bengal. As a result, their rations are being threatened to be
terminated. Rather, refugees should be motivated to take the initiative. In response, the
Deputy Minister of Labour and Rehabilitation said that the extreme population pressure felt
in the border areas is not so much as the population pressure in the remote areas. Regarding
the attitude of the refugees, the Deputy Minister said that Refugees often come from a
village, so naturally they want to stay together at one place. If possible, arrangements will be
made to send people together to the same village.
It is clear that private support to the refugee problem and financial support to the refugee-
arriving states of India were inadequate and the state governments were struggling to deal
with the refugee problem. In this context the perspective of the central government can be
discussed. Incidentally, the chief ministers of various states had demanded the intervention of
the central government on the issue of refugees. West Bengal Chief Minister Shri Ajay
Mukherjee discusses various issues of refugees from Bangladesh with Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi and he requested the Prime Minister to make arrangements to send these refugees to
other states of India due to lack of space here. The Centre has not yet announced any
decision, the chief minister told reporters on Wednesday. He has already sent a letter to the
Prime Minister in this regard. At the urging of the eastern states, Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi visited several refugee camps in Assam and Tripura on May 16. On May 16, she said
at the Dum Dum Airport in Kolkata that the refugee problem was a huge problem and a
difficult task to deal with. Especially where there is a shortage of food items in India. On the
same day, May 16, in Haldibari, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi announced, the refugee
problem cannot be solely India's problem at all. We need international help on international
issues and refugee reliefs. Everyone has to bear this responsibility. While addressing a public
meeting at Ranikhet on 16 May Indira Gandhi called on the major powers to understand the
refugee problem and said, Pakistan's problem has gradually become India's internal problem.
Regarding the refugee problem, he said:

The burden is heavy on us, how can we ignore the helpless refugees?

At a public meeting on May 17 at Haldibari, Mrs. Indira Gandhi promised the refugees from
Bangladesh that though India has a much larger population, and despite the food shortage, the
camp will provide food and shelter for them (refugees) for humanitarian reasons. She further
added that what is an internal matter for Pakistan has become a serious problem for India.
Union Defence Minister Jagjivan Ram told reporters in the news that was published under the
headline ‘WORLD WILL HAVE TO ENSUR EREFUGEES RETURN’ in daily
Hindustan Standard-

…the nations of the world would have to consider what other steps could be taken to
solve the problem created by the ‘unprecedented’ influx of evacuees from Bangladesh to
India.

In her statement to the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi raised the issue of India's
position in the wake of the members' discussion regarding the statement by the Indian
Foreign Minister on the events in Bangladesh. She said-

Something new has happened in East Bengal, a democratic action, where people have
spoken with almost one voice which we have welcomed, not because we wanted to
interfere in another country’s affairs, but because those were the values, as one of my
Hon’ble friend pointed out, for which we have always stood and for which we have
always spoken out. And we hope that this action will lead to a new situation in our
neighbouring country, which would help us to get closer, which would help us to serve
our own people better and create an entirely new situation in this sub-continent. As our
statement said, this did not happen and a wonderful opportunity for even the
strengthening of Pakistan has been lost that too in a manner which is tragic, agonising
and about which we cannot find enough strong words to speak. This again is a new
situation but is different. It is not merely an unarmed people with tanks. We are in a
close touch with the events as much possible in such situation.

In a statement to the Rajya Sabha on the same day, the Prime Minister said-

We are not unaware of what is happening in East Pakistan and of what it means not
only to the people there but also the danger that it holds for us, not for any one part of
the country but for the entire country.

In a meeting with the editor of the newspaper, the Prime Minister of India said in response to
a question on refugees from Bangladesh-

The influx of refugees from east Bengal has become a “Tremendous burden” on India-
a burden no other country in the world has to bear as such in such a short time and on
such a massive scale.

To another question she answered-

India would have to spend a great deal on these refugees. These problems were a great
deal on those refugees. These problems were being sorted out by the planning
commission and other departments. It would also depend upon the scale of assistance
that India has received which is only $36 million.

In response to a question on the repatriation of refugees from India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi said-

I am just going to send them back. I am determined to send them back.

In a statement issued by the Union Minister of Labour and Rehabilitation in the wake of the
influx of refugees in Rajya Sabha on May 24, he said-

The Government of India has decided on humanitarian considerations to extend

necessary relief assistance to these refugees in the shape of improvised shelter and food.
In addition, arrangements have been made to provide medical assistance and steps have
been taken to control epidemics, supply of milk powder has also been arranged for
children, pregnant and nursing mothers and the sick. Other essential articles of daily
use e.g. clothes, utensils, etc., are also being supplied to deserving cases. The extremely
heavy expenditure involved in providing relief assistance to these refugees, whose
number is mounting every day, is causing a severe financial strain on India’s economy.

In an additional statement she said-

The Government of India has therefore urged the United Nations and Foreign
Governments, through Indian Missions abroad, to share the responsibility in tackling
this vast refugee problem which should be the concern of the International community.

On the same day, the Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, some vital points were
exposed in her statement to the Lok Sabha on the situation in Bangladesh. First, it is clear
how the huge influx of refugees has created a dire situation for some states in West Bengal.
Second, she pointed out the financial problems faced by those states and the Centre in bearing
the cost of refugees. Third, she demanded that other countries of the world should come
forward in this regard. In the view of the large influx of refugees, she stated-

So massive a migration, in such a short time is unprecedented in recorded history.

About three and a half million people have come into India from Bangladesh during the
last eight weeks. They belong to every religious persuasion- Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist
and Christian. They came from every social class and age groups. They are not refugees
in the sense we understand since partition. They are victims of war who have sought
refuge from the military terror across our frontier.

Explaining the government's approach to providing services to refugees, she said-

Many refugees are wounded and need urgent medical attention. I saw some of them in
the hospitals I visited in Tripura and West Bengal. Medical facilities in all our border
states have been stretched to breaking point. Equipment for 1,100 new hospital beds
have been rushed to these states, including a 400 bed mobile hospital, generously
donated by the Government of Rajasthan. Special teams of surgeons, physicians, nurses
and public health experts have been deputed to the major camps. Special water supply
schemes are being executed on the highest priority, and preventive health measures are
being undertaken on a large scale.

In that context of huge sums of money being spent on refugees and the pressure on the Indian
people, the Prime Minister said in a statement-

Our present estimates, the cost to the central exchequer on relief alone may exceed Rs.
180 crores for a period of six months. All these as Honourable Members will appreciate,
has imposed an unexpected burden on us.

At the same time, she appealed to the various states of the world to take appropriate action in
the statement of that day. Addressing a rally organized by the Congress Socialist Forum, Mrs.
Indira Gandhi said, the complains that the Pakistani authorities have raised as the refugees
from Bangladesh are not being forced to return to the country, Mrs Indira Gandhi called them
‘obtuse’ and she added that the Indian government has made it clear more than once that they
want refugees to return to the country as soon as possible. Under the headline ‘Centre
approves Rs. 200 crores for refugees’ published in Anandabazar newspaper it was written,
“The Lok Sabha today (August 9) sanctioned 200 crores for the expenditure of refugees from
Bangladesh who were tortured by the Pakistani military.” Revenue Minister Shri K. R.
Ganesh said the government is committed to help the people of Bangladesh in their liberation
struggle. He said that these 200 crore rupees is being sanctioned for the independence of
Bangladesh. One-tenth of that country's population has already arrived in India. If necessary,
the government will not hesitate to install a new tax system for this. Rehabilitation Minister
Shri. R. K. Khadilkar said, the Rs 200 crore being sanctioned for the refugees in Bangladesh
reflects India's support for Bangladesh's independence struggle. He said India has received Rs
8 crore 40 lakh from various countries in this regard. In a news with the headline 'A quarter
of 2 lakh blankets have been sent for the refugees' was published in the Anandabazar
newspaper it was written- “The Government of India's Rehabilitation Department has sent
two lakh blankets to refugee camps in North Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya.” A press noted
from the Kolkata branch office said on Tuesday night that arrangements were being made to
distribute 50 lakh blankets. Those blankets have already been sent through UNICEF. In
addition to providing assistance to the refugees, the attitude of the Government of India
towards the refugees returning to Bangladesh was also positive. In a news published under
the headline ‘India to help to resettle refugees’, it was written- “India will provide housing
materials for the rehabilitation of refugees from India who are now returning to Bangladesh.”
Shri Sukhmoy Chakraborty, Member of Planning Commission of India, made the assurance
during a meeting with Bangladesh Relief and Rehabilitation Minister A. H. M.
Kamaruzzaman in Dhaka on December 28. The meeting discussed the demand for relief and
rehabilitation of refugees and displaced persons. Mr Kamaruzzaman said the Bangladesh
government wanted to expedite the rehabilitation of refugees. They hope to complete the
repatriation and resettlement of all refugees within three months. Various programs will also
be taken for the refugee workplace.

In October, the economic situation in India was on the verge of collapsing due to the refugee
problem from Bangladesh. A dangerous situation in the above social and economic spheres
was gradually getting out of the control of the Government of India. The newspaper New
York Times reports on the state of the refugee camps and the alarming situation of
communal riots stating-

What the Indians fear most is that the tension might take on a communal colour- most
of the refugees are Hindus terrorised by Muslim West Pakistani Army- and touch off a
nation-wide chain reaction in which India’s majority would take revenge on the
country’s 60 million Muslims.

Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s three-week visit to Belgium, Austria, Britain, United
States, France and Federal Republic of Germany, as last diplomatic initiative for peaceful
resolution of migration issue, was on purpose of a Presidential Ordinance imposing an
additional tax of Rs 700 million which has been issued to address the growing deficit for
refugees. The new tax will include railway travel, post, hundi. In addition, two paisa will be
charged on each copy of the newspaper. The new surplus will be effective November 15.
However, in the case of assistance to refugees, financial support was received from various
foreign states and organizations. This is evident from the news published in various
newspapers in contemporary India. According to AP sources, in a news published under the
headline ‘The British Government announced a grant of 1 crore 10 lakhs for the refugees of
Bangladesh’, it was written- The British Government today announced a grant of 1 crore 10
lakhs (10 lakh pounds) for the refugee sin East Bengal. A spokesman for the Foreign Office
said, this money is being taken at the request of the Secretary General of the United Nations
U. Thant last Wednesday. Funding is provided to the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) and other UN agencies currently working with the Government of India.
Referring to a P.T.I. source, in a news published under the headline "New Delhi British
Service Delegation", it was written - May 21 - A delegation from the British service
organization 'Struggle Against Lack' arrives to review the refugee problem. The delegation
has four members. The delegation was led by Donald Chesworth, a member of the Labour
Party in the British Parliament. He met the Foreign Minister Saran Singh, Secretary of the
Foreign Office (Eastern) Shri. S. K. Banerjee and Rehabilitation Secretary Shri. G. S.
Kohnor. A delegation from that British service organization will travel to Calcutta to visit the
refugee camps at the border. In that context, in the news under the headline 'Britain donates
ten lakh sterling for the evacuation of Bangladesh', it was written- United Nations Refugee
Relief with the High Commission or the Government of India, in consultation with other
United Nations agencies to arrange immediate reliefs for East Bengal refugees in India
Britain granted 10 lakh sterling to U. Thant. However, the money was provided to
accommodate the refugees, along with other equipment. Also in the context of financial
assistance from foreign states and organizations in helping refugees a news was published
referring the sources of A.P. and P.T.I. under the headline ‘The United States and Russia are
sending planes to transport refugees from the border’, it was written- The United States and
the Soviet Union will provide four large military transport aircraft to evacuate refugees from
East Bengal. Those refugees have gathered at the Tripura border of India. The United States
is considering increasing aid through the United Nations to feed and care for refugees. State
Department spokesman Mr. Charles Barre has informed this. He said the amount of aid could
be 1 crore 50 lakhs 5 dollars (11 crores 20 lakhs 50 thousand rupees). He said it could cost
half as much to feed the refugees a month. In the same context, quoting A.P.A.F.P. Royter, a
news was published under the headline 'We want conditions for refugees to return - West
Germany', it was written- Baan, June 11- An official statement from the West German
government said last night that India will not be able to solve the problem of East Bengal
alone. A solution must be found so that the refugees can return. The announcement came
within 48 hours of the visit of the Indian External Affairs Minister Shri Saran Singh to Baan.
The manifesto expresses the West German government's interest in maintaining peace and
stability in the Indian subcontinent. Indian External Affairs Minister Saran Singh arrives in
Paris from the Baan on the night of June to discuss the plight of East Bengal refugees with
President Pompidou.

According to a prominent social worker in Action (Cash) with the Christian Agency Force
Mr. F. A. Jones, aid to Bangladeshi refugees is a long-term issue. This relief work will take
months and years to complete. He visited the border region of West Bengal and discussed the
plight of the refugees in an article published in ‘Action’ of ‘Kasha’- ‘I have observed the
condition of the migrants very closely. Most of them are Hindus and peasants and working
class people. The main reason for their departure is the severe religious persecution of this
community in Bangladesh. As a result of this persecution, they are so terrified that it is
disgusting to think of returning to the country in its current state. They have given up all hope
of returning to live in the country. Because, there is no security of life, neither any source of
livelihood. They never forget the killing of loved ones and the brutal torture. Besides, there is
the matter of looting and arson of the house. So it will take time for them to rethink. So what
is needed for refugees right now is empathy and compassion.’ Representative of the
International Relief and Rescue Committee of New York Mrs. Leith on July 12 th, after
gaining direct experience in this endeavour, decided to send more doctors and paramedics.
On July 13, 1971 Britain announced that it will provide 2 crores 80 lakhs in cash and
relief supplies for the relief effort.

Senator Kennedy, chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Refugees, in

Washington on July 14 reported a warning that if new food is not sent immediately, millions
of people in East Pakistan will starve to death. The report further said that the Pak
government have least knowledge about the food needs in East Bengal. There is no
coordination in the relief program as well. Referring to Reuters, the news was published in
Anandabazar newspaper.

A Canadian delegation visits refugee camps in India on July 17. One of the members of this
delegation was Mr. Andrew Braille, a member of the New Democrats, said the UN must do
something, said the UN must do something, the United Nations can appoint observers to help
create conditions for the return of refugees. He said they would go back and present their
views to the government. One of the things they will say is to increase the amount of
Canadian financial aid for refugees. Under the headline 'Eight West German planes will
arrive in Kolkata for refugee aid' a news published referring P.T.I- Eight planes with aid for
Bangladesh refugees are arriving in Kolkata in the next ten days. The West German
government is sending planes. The planes will carry a total of 215 tonnes of supplies from
West German government services and UNICEF. A concert was held in New York on July
23 to help the refugees arriving in India, Pundit Ravi Shankar and Beatles artists George
Harris and Ringo Star also took part in it. The event sold over 35,000 tickets in 10 hours. The
United Nations announced on August 9 that so far, India has received Rs 75 crore to help
East Bengal refugees with services. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees, another 15 million dollars is needed to cover the cost by September. Of this, the
demand of two-three million dollars is very urgent. The money must be sent within two
weeks. On the same day, a meeting was held between US Secretary of State William Rogers
and Secretary-General of the United Nations Relief Works U Thant. William Rogers told the
reporters after the meeting that he had given a cheque for Rs 75 lakh, adding that the US was
ready to pay another Rs 75 lakh. He added, they want to reassure Thant that the United States
will do everything possible to help the United Nations relief efforts. Kennedy, chairman of
the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, after his visit to India witnessing the situation
of the refugees, commented- ‘Came here to see them. We have to do something for them.’ He
expressed concern at a press conference at least four times, citing 75 million refugees. He
gave a brief answer to the question of what he thought of the situation of the refugees- 'A
scandalous chapter in human history'. The Japanese government is sending more items worth
1 crore 80 lakhs to help the refugees from Bangladesh. Considering the importance of the
situation, the Japanese cabinet took this decision. In a news published under this headline
‘The World Bank wants to grant more aid to India for refugees’, it was written- In the year
1971-72, a meeting was held to consider providing aid to India. This is the effort of the
World Bank to meet the expenses of the refugees coming from Bangladesh to India. More
was written in the news- the world bank has sent a special report on the huge economic
pressure on the Government of India for refugees from East Bengal to the member states of
the World Bank aid agency. The world bank thinks, all development efforts in India will die
on the ground if India is not provided with adequate assistance to meet the pressure of these
90 lakh refugees and there will be a new pressure on the economy. The world bank thinks
that more 600 crore rupees will be excessively spent by India in the year 1971-72 for the
refugees. That's about a quarter of the amount of foreign aid that has been given.

In fact, it is clear from those newspaper reports that various foreign countries came to the aid
of Bangladeshi refugees arriving in India. An overall picture is captured of this help from the
information other than newspaper information. The following table shows the amount of
money received and pledged by India from the United Nations and other sources till June
1971.

United Nations Other sources Total

9,80,00,000 16,50,00,000 26,30,00,000

The amount of aid for the Refugees in India from other countries can be seized from the
following table-

Country Grants
United States 7,05,00,000 dollars
Britain 72,00,000 dollars
Japan 50,00,000 dollars
Total 8,27,00,000 dollars

However, the amount of US aid increased later. According to Indian author Surjit Mansingh,
the United States contributed a total of. 94.5 million to the refugee sector in 1971-72.
Incidentally, In Kennedy's speech on the issue of refugees in India and Bangladesh in the US
Senate on June 2, 1971, he called on the United States to be more proactive in helping
refugees. In this speech he said-

The Indian Government puts the cost of feeding 4,000,000 refugees for 3 months at
some $40,000,000 to $45,000,000 or some $78,000,000 to $92,000,000 for 6 months. This
estimate is based on a daily diet of over 2,000 calories per refugee.
The world food programme puts the cost of some $32,000,000 to $36,000,000 for 3
months or $65,000,000 to $72,000,000 for 6 months. This estimate is based on a daily
diet of over 1,600 calories per refugee.

Our own Government, using a daily diet of 1,600 calories per refugee, is estimating it
will be some $30 million to feed 4 million refugees for 3 months and some $60 million
for 6 months. The state department informs me that the own Government is prepared
to carry upto 50 percent of this estimated cost. Till date, however, only $2.5 million has
been allocated. In this connection the US voluntary agencies- including CARE, Catholic
relief services, and Lutheran Church world service, these federations are currently
feeding some 280-500 refugees under aid authorization. Regarding the subject to the
availability of food, however, these agencies have a capacity to feed some 1.5 million
people.

He expressed concern over the lack of proper assistance to India and he claimed that the US
role in Bangladesh's problems should be appropriate. In the same speech he also said-

On April 23, the Government of India appealed to the United Nations International
humanitarian assistance. Today even after 6 weeks, International relief options are not
underway and regrettably, in response to the inquiries neither the United Nations nor
our own Government is willing to say when these operations will begin. Meanwhile, the
Indian Government is doing what it can to meet the humanitarian need of the refugees
with the limited resources available and with the help of the private voluntary agencies.
Mr. President, it is clear every day that a massive human tragedy is developing, as a
result of unrest and conflict in East Pakistan. How much longer will the world stand
idle while the region plunges towards the brink of disaster? How much longer will the
United Nations study the problem, when humanitarian needs are clearly evident?

How much longer will our Government point with satisfaction to the meagre efforts it is
making and to an international relief program that so far remains on paper? How
longer will we temporize in responding to India’s appeals for relief supplies such as
tents, and for logistical support such as C-130s and helicopters when massive stocks are
available from the U.S. sources throughout South East Asia?

And how much longer will the Government of Pakistan claim that conditions are
“normal” in East Pakistan, when each day we see tens of thousands of its citizens fleeing
across the border into India?

In the US Senate, Kennedy introduced a bill for additional allocations for refugee relief in
Bangladesh on September 23 to ensure adequate aid from U.S. In the raised bill he said-

New estimation of our Government regarding the cost of India caring for the refugees at
the staggering total of $30,00,000 during the current fiscal year- a cost which is equal to
the annual contribution of the aid consortium for India’s economic development.
Simple humanity demands that we and the international community must face the
simple truth, that is, this refugee burden cannot be borne by India alone. To end this, I
am introducing today a bill to authorize $400,000,000 to assist the International Refugee
Relief Effort in India. This figure is consistent with the percentage of financial support
we have traditionally to the level of support we are currently giving as a member of the
international development consortium for India.

The Japanese people, on the other hand, came forward to help their Asian brothers. This is
clear from the following information. Funds raised through the Highways Programs for
Refugees in Japan.

Date Money
21 November 1971 12,000 Yen
23 November 1971 70,000 Yen
28 November 1971 2,00,000 Yen
5 December 1971 2,20,000 Yen
12 December 1971 2,30,000 Yen
(Total) 7,32,000 Yen

Date Quantity of Goods

December 3, 1971 524 cartoon (27,000) clothes
January 13, 1971 2700 cartoon (13,00,000) clothes
June 16, 1971 250 cartoon (12,000) clothes

The Soviet government and people came forward to provide military assistance to the
refugees. Initially, India's assistance to refugees was far from adequate. Not only that, the
refugee crisis was on the verge of collapsing India's economy. To prevent this catastrophe,
the Soviet people came forward to help the Indian government with food, medicine, clothes
and other essentials. The Soviet Union responded quickly to the planned initiative of the
Government of India on refugee management and several transport airlines started flights to
relocate the refugees to Madhya Pradesh.

Privately, Britain's newspapers, non-governmental organizations and electronic media came

forward to support the liberation war. OXFAM should be mentioned particularly. OXFAM
got involved in the immediate UN relief efforts in Dhaka.

UN product assistance to India

On Quantity
1. Help with food 6267 ton
[Link] 2200 ton
[Link] 700 ton
 [Link] for making shelter As required for 30 lakhs refugees

Sadruddin mentioned in detail the steps taken by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR)-

The members of UNICEF, World Food Program and World Health Organization led by a
resident representative of a refugee organization in New Delhi (UNHCR) are working in
refugee camps in West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. He also gave details of the demands
made by India for refugee assistance in different months. He said that in April, India
demanded 17 crores 50 lakhs dollar, which grows to 400 crores 5 dollar in June 26 and in
October 26 India demanded 709 crore US dollars. Increase in India's claim due to the rise in
the number of refugees is evidenced by Sadruddin's report. In his report Sadruddin said that it
is not his job to consider the political aspect of the problem, only the psychological aspect is
the subject of the organization's activities. However, he reiterated that millions of refugees
can be saved by bringing peace back to the subcontinent.

Samar Sen, India's envoy, took part in the discussion on Sadruddin's report and highlighted
two basic issues. For example, First- the pressure of refugees in East Bengal is increasing on
India. Second- The source of this crisis is East Bengal. Therefore, it is possible to solve this
crisis only through the elected representatives and acceptable leaders of East Bengal.

Soviet representative Dr. S. Seferonsuk, in his speech, demanded an end to the persecution of
the people of East Bengal by the Pakistani military and a political solution there. W. T.
Bennet, a representative of the United States, shaded light on three issues:

i) India and Pakistan's vital efforts to tackle subcontinental tragedy are most
inspiring and innovative
ii) India and Pakistan should co-operate with the United Nations until a solution is
reached, and
iii) Repatriation of refugees is the only way to solve the problem.

The British envoy spoke twice. He said, although the third committee is responsible for
humanitarian issues, the political question is outside the jurisdiction of the third committee.
The British envoy's statement raised the complex question of the refugee problem, which was
obviously a humanitarian issue, but the political question was intimately involved with it. The
French representative also spoke twice and said that France sympathizes with India's plight.
Representatives from Tunisia, Libya and Nigeria spoke on behalf of Pakistan. The Nigerian
envoy backed Pakistan, saying, “The refugee problem is entirely humanitarian and the issue
of political interference should be avoided altogether… Pakistan is a sovereign state and this
is an internal affair.”

Analyzing the statements of the representatives of different countries in the third committee,
it is seen that, some countries like- Britain, France, United States are also considering
political issues while speaking on humanitarian issues. Again, some countries see political
causes (India and the Soviet Union) as the source of the problem, on the other hand some pro-
Pakistan states like- Tunisia, Libya and Nigeria saw the refugee talks as an interference in
Pakistan's internal affairs.

On November 22, the third committee unanimously passed a resolution. This proposal had
three main features. First- Recognition of UN relief activities in the subcontinent. Second-
Warning of dangerous deterioration of the situation. Third- The committee said it would
make statements on the following three issues.

i) The refugee problem worries everyone;

ii) Calling on various countries and organizations to work for the United Nations;
iii) Repatriation to their own country in a safe environment for refugees is the only
way to a lasting solution.

The draft proposal of the third committee was passed in the general assembly on December 6.
A few minutes later, the Secretary-General U. Thant said in a statement to the General
Assembly that Relief efforts in East Pakistan have been suspended due to active clashes due
to which it is impossible to transport relief supplies. However, relief efforts for refugees in
India continued.

Based on the above information, it can be said without any doubt- various non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) in India, various state and central governments in India have taken
significant initiatives to help the refugees. At the same time, different countries of the world
including the United Nations extended a helping hand. But the amount of aid from other
countries of the world was less than the need. There were a number of problems in India's
internal affairs which were due to this refugee problem. Firstly, As the economies of the
states in which the refugees found refuge came under pressure, so did the law and order
system of those states. Secondly, the massive influx of refugees upset the balance between
the proportion of Indian and Bangladeshi nationals in the border area. Thirdly, as a result, the
local schools and colleges (Refugees took refuge in these) were closed for months, disrupting
the education system. Fourthly, Among the refugees were people of different religions.
Similarly, there were rich, poor, educated, uneducated people of various levels also. So the
differences in the nature of the refugee problem was also noticed. Fifthly, a common problem
with the arrival of refugees was the rising cost of daily necessities. Sometimes somewhere the
refugees got involved in a dispute with the locals while trying to occupy the land for their
accommodation. Sixthly, there is widespread dissatisfaction with the entry of refugees into
the local labour market. This is mentioned in The Refugee report of Frontier newspaper-
Meanwhile, there is widespread dissatisfaction with refugees in Nadia and 24 Parganas
districts. Adverse attitudes are particularly evident in the case of day labourers. The reason is-
workers in East Bengal demand much lower wages for their survival, such as two and a half
rupees for an adult labourer and one rupee for a boy. Local day labourers, on the other hand,
claim almost double the wages. Four and a half rupees for adults and two rupees for children.
Landowners were taking full advantage of this. The local landlords used this situation to their
advantage, most newcomers used it to their advantage, most newcomers provided jobs to the
refugees. Not only in remote areas, but in the city of Calcutta itself did the refugees compete
with the locals in the job market. Commenting on such a situation in a state with high
unemployment rate like West Bengal, an official of the West Bengal government said-

The city would explode and the tremors would even shake the fair garden of Delhi.

Seventhly, the communal situation in the refugee camps was complicated. In a statement
issued on June 7, CPI General Secretary Rajeshwar Rao said-

Tension was developing among the evacuees and local population and there was every
danger of communal riots breaking out on a wide scale.

So India took a humane approach to refugees from the very beginning. But gradually there
were financial problems that centred on the refugee problem. In order to cope with this huge
amount of money, the government of India was burdened with huge taxes on Indian citizens.
In this context, the government took the initiative to draw the attention of the international
community to the refugee problem. India was taking swift action in this internationalization
effort. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on May 18 called on the world's great powers and said
the major powers must come forward to take responsibility of the refugees. India took this
initiative in the interest of national security.

References:

1. Kabir Shahriar (edited), Memoirs of Seventy-one Duhsah, Dhaka, 1919, p. 13.

2. Hasan Hafizur Rehman (edited), Bengal War of Independence: Documents, Volume
8, 1984, p. 51.
3. Dr. Hassan. M. A. War Crimes Genocide and Exploration of Justice, War Crimes
Facts Finding Committee, 2001.
4. Mille Susan Brown, Against Our Will Men, Women and Rape, Penguin Books Ltd, p.
79, quoted Begum, Maleka, Ekattarer Nari, ILBS, January 2001, p. 146.
5. Hassan Hamida, Other Edited, Women’s 71 and post-war fantasy, Law and
Arbitration Centre, 2001.
- Mamun Muntasir (edited), 1971 Chuknagar Massacre, Bangladesh {ractice, 2003.
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1992.
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- Dr. M. A. Hasan, War and Women, War Crimes Facts Finding Trust, 2002.
- Hasan Hafizur Rahman (edited), The war of Independence of Bengal: Documents,
Violume 8, 2010.
6. Daily Anandabazar Patrika, May 10, 1971.
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12. Bangladesh War of Independence Documents Volume 8, edited by Hasan, Hafizur
Rahman, December 2010, p. 521-522.
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27.