Bangladeshi Hindus in Karnataka celebrate Citizenship Amendment Act

coastaldigest.com news network

December 15, 2019

Raichur, Dec 15: A large number of Hindus who had come from Bangladesh and settled in Karnataka’s Raichur district are celebrating the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill-2019, which seeks to give Indian citizenship immigrants from neighbouring countries if they are non-Muslims, was passed in both the Houses of Parliament. President Ram Nath Kovind also gave his assent to the Bill on Dec 13.

Since then there has been non-stop revelry with colours and crackers around the Durga temple at the “Bangla camp” in Sindhanur taluk in Raichur district.

Even though the contentious CAA has received criticism by civil society groups across the country for being “discriminatory”, it is set to directly benefit about 5,000 people out of the around 20,000 at the Bangla camp, besides indirectly benefiting most families there.

“A large part of the third-generation population that has made Sindhanur home does not have citizenship status as one of their parents does not have citizenship. Now, with this Act, all these people will get citizenship,” said Prasen Raptan, a Bangladeshi Hindu living in Sindhanur.

Most of the Bengali-speaking population in the camp came from Khulna, Jessore, Dhaka, Barisal and Faridpur areas in Bangladesh. They entered India before or after the 1971 Indo-Pak war. While the government accommodated them in various temporary shelters, they were eventually settled in permanent camps across the country, including the one in Sindhanur, with an allotment of five acres to each family. Permanent camps are in 18 States, including Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and most north-eastern States.

The problem that the community here faced was that only 727 families, accounting for about 4,000 people, had citizenship conferred as part of their settlement package. However, about 200 families that were related or friends with those settled here also migrated, and they did not get the citizenship status as part of their settlement package. In the past two decades or so, marriages took place between these two sets of families. Their children (or the third generation) also did not receive citizenship because both parents were not citizens as per the 1955 Act, Mr. Raptan said.

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‘Have letter, next step is...’: MUDA on Siddaramaiah’s wife’s offer to return plots

News Network

October 1,2024

Mysuru: The Mysuru land authority at the centre of a financial and political storm - involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and alleged losses of ₹ 45 crore to the state - has received an offer of restitution from his wife, the urban development body's Commissioner, AN Raghunandan said.

"I am in possession of a letter written by Siddaramaiah's wife regarding her intention to return 14 plots (of land). The Chief Minister's son, Yatindra Siddaramaiah, came to our office and delivered the letter. We will take legal advice for the next step..." he told reporters in Mysuru.

Mr Raghunandan also confirmed anti-corruption officials from the city's Lokayukta branch had written seeking cooperation in its inquiry into the charges against the Chief Minister.

He said the Mysuru Urban Development Authority, or MUDA, "will cooperate with the investigation".

The Enforcement Directorate, however, have not reached out as yet, Mr Raghunandan said. The ED, a federal agency, has filed a money laundering case against Siddaramaiah.

There have also been calls for the CBI, another federal agency, to investigate charges against the Chief Minister, but that appears unlikely now given the Karnataka government has withdrawn general consent for its operations in the state. Law Minister HK Patil made the announcement last week.

He ruled out any link with demands for the Chief Minister to be investigated by the CBI, which reports to the BJP-led central government and the ruling Congress and other opposition parties have claimed is being used by that party to target rival leaders, particularly before elections.

On Monday - three days after the Lokayukta filed a case against the Chief Minister, and hours after the ED launched its probe- Siddaramaiah's wife said she had planned to give up the land earlier but was advised against it the allegations against her husband are "politically motivated".

But now, she said, she had made up her mind as "no house, plot, or wealth is more important than my husband's honor, dignity, and peace of mind". She also said the decision was hers alone; "... I am not aware of my husband's opinion on this matter, nor do I concern myself with what my son thinks".

And, in a comment seen as a calculated swipe at the opposition BJP, which is leading calls for the Chief Minister's resignation, his wife also made an emotional appeal to "all political parties and the media" to "please not drag women of political families into the controversy to settle political scores".

Investigative action against the Chief Minister follows the Karnataka High Court quashing a challenge to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot's order sanctioning Siddaramaiah's prosecution.

Subsequently a trial court ordered framing of charges and directed the Lokayukta to complete the investigation within three months. The ED case was filed based on the Lokayukta FIR.

Siddaramaiah faces an inquiry into claims Parvathi was allotted 14 plots of land in an upmarket Mysuru area as compensation for land elsewhere - holding a far lower value - taken for infrastructure projects.

The Chief Minister has denied all charges and refused calls to resign.

He has been backed by the Congress and his deputy, DK Shivakumar, who is also the state unit boss, and also by members of his cabinet, including IT Minister Priyank Kharge. However, some within the Congress also want him to quit, such as former Assembly Speaker KB Koliwad.

"I will fight. I am not afraid of anything. We are ready to face the investigation. I will fight this legally," he said last week after the High Court had quashed his challenge to the Governor's sanction.

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