The Pandemonium Of Identity

The Pandemonium Of Identity

 The crisis of national identity looms high over people who have been part of exodus across borders amidst various waves of Indo Pak conflict or otherwise. The highly talked CAA passed by the Indian parliament in 2019 which did put the whole citizenship debate benefitting persecuted minorities in proper light seems to have missed some corners which really needed some scrutiny. 

 People who have migrated in last 20-30 years especially the section of people among the so called persecuted minorities as the newly passed CAA calls them are still facing hardships in getting their citizenship procedure done because of various reasons. So before exploring the prospects of how the newly enactments can help these group of migrants the authorities must pay proper attention to the issues faced by these migrants over the years.

 For accessing legal entitlements and services, Indian citizenship is the only viable option for the migrants. But the migrants face major challenges in obtaining citizenship status, ranging from the condition of having stayed in India for a certain period of time, keeping the registration permit from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office up to date and paying a hefty fee for frequent renewal of their long term visas. 

 THE KALI BERI STORY

  Kali beri, a state owned land located approx 18 km from Jodhpur city in the state of Rajasthan had been a dwelling ground for approx 200 hindu families who have migrated to India from Pakistan. There are many such settlements in other states of India such as Punjab, Gujarat, Haryana and New delhi. A vast majority of families living in Kali Beri are extremely poor low caste hindus who have migrated to India in various different waves of population shift. Their plight of exodus roots in the stories of forced kidnapping, conversions, violence, vandalization of their religious and commercial setups. But there movement across the border has not exactly resulted according to their anticipation. Lack of proper infrastructure, bureaucratic delays regarding citizenship and other necessary legal paperwork have rendered these people hardships regarding the most basic amenities for a minimal proper dignified life. People had died here waiting for their citizenship even after completing the prescribed formalities . 

The men in Kali beri mostly belong to landless farmers and daily wage workers who hunt for jobs to satisfy their daily needs. The biggest of issues lies with the lack of awareness among these people as most of them are illiterate and the Government hasn’t been making any considerable effort to aware them of the proper procedure for fetching a bare minimum living standard. The issues of women and children are mostly confined to their sense of survival as proper education and health care for them hasn’t ever been in the notice of Indian lawmakers. The Kali Beri story of these persecuted or otherwise Hindus from across the border simply depicts the lack of existing infrastructure in our system to provide proper treatment for people moving in from across the border. Most of the migrants are illiterate and unable to decipher and navigate maze of rules and regulations, which makes them vulnerable to deceit and exploitation by government officials. Even after getting the Citizenship their problems don’t end, obtaining documents such as ration cards, caste certificates is no easy task and they find it difficult to avail themselves of the benefits of government's healthcare, education and employment schemes .

 CHALLENGES

 A growing sense of Insecurity in Pakistan has lead to the migration of thousands of Hindus, Sikhs etc. But over the past two decades, they cannot easily attain the status of refugees as India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of the Refugees, nor it’s 1967 protocol, making it difficult for them to easily avail the citizenship. The Kali Beri situation is prevalent in many regions across west Rajasthan. Lack of proper bureaucratic assistance has only made it worse for these people. 

The question still remains not only of providing the citizenship but also of providing the necessary facilities to the families and people so that at least the minimum viable level of dignified existence can be ensured to them. In absence of refugee specific legislation, the reception, admittance and treatment of refugees in India is conditioned by ad hoc policies adopted by government to deal with specific circumstances. There has to be concrete plans for livelihood developments and rehabilitation of these migrants at the Central as well as State level. There has to be a formulation of a robust policy for rehabilitation of such families by the centre so that these migrant families be given the proper treatment to facilitate not only the citizenship process but also to ensure their basic livelihood standard. 

WHAT CAN BE DONE? 

 Some of the steps that can be taken by the Government of India to bring relief to these migrants is to ensure timely resolution of citizenship applications and immediate provision for below poverty line cards and caste certificates during the immigration process. Agencies needed to be setup to address the issues faced by these migrants so that they cannot be exploited or potentially abused by local or state agencies. Additionally, the Government should provide adequate sanitation facilities and electricity in Kali Beri and other similar settlements. This would be part of a larger effort to transform these makeshift settlements into places of permanent residence so that the refugees do not have to live in the fear of being displaced again. At the same time, the medical and educational needs of the community should be addressed. To ensure the education of children of the migrant families directions needed to be issued to educational institutions to admit them while their legal status is being established.

 Pakistan High commission should be persuaded to withdraw the increased fee that the migrants are charged for renunciation of their Pakistani citizenship, which is mandatory for them before getting their Indian citizenship and provide easy facilities for renewal of passports and identity cards. However, NGO's like UJAS Headed by H S Sodha are performing commendable Work and helping out settlers in the Kali Beri and other places of settlement. CAA still remains the ray of new hope to the people with no land and nation.

 - Janhvi Singh