Bangladeshi 'infiltrators' poll pitch leaves Jharkhand district on edge

PAKUR: A little over three decades ago, Ashraful Sheikh was tilling land in Malpahar in Pakur district of then undivided Jharkhand when he fell in love. So did Jharna Marandi, an Adivasi, who lived there. "Mohabbat hoye gechhilo amader (We fell in love)," said Ashraful, who married Jharna, now pradhan of Nartanpur village.

Jharna and Ashraful married following Adivasi customs , she never changed her surname, did not convert to Islam. While he offers namaaz five times a day and keeps roza during Ramzan, Jharna follows tribal customs.

In nearby Kasila village in Pakur, Sanat Marandi didn't know what to do with his large tract of land. He did not have the wherewithal to put it to use, neither could he sell it as tribal land is non-transferable under the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act. Then, like many others, he found a middle path - to give away a part of the land for a lower price - known as 'Daan Patra' (gift deed) transfer. Shabbir Sheikh, a resident of nearby Sangrampur, "bought" a piece of land from Sanat and is running his business.

Sanat continued to remain the legal landowner as his land is non-transferable and deposited annual rental to the govt, which in turn is paid to him by Shabbir.

As Pakur, which is closest to the Bangladesh border in Jharkhand, heads to polls on November 20 amid a high-pitched campaign revolving around "ghuspethiyas" (infiltrators) crossing the border to "grab land, livelihoods and even Adivasi women", Jharna, Ashraful, Shabbir and Sanat have suddenly become Pakur's poster boys, the face of what residents called an age-old parampara that is now a part of the social fabric of Santhal Parganas and is also taking care of the region's socio-economic crisis.

The issue, which has both NDA and INDIA bloc trading charges and counter charges in Pakur, a Muslim-dominated district which has a history of Mughal settlement, seems to have left residents in pain.

"We follow Islam, we speak Bangla and are historically too poor to own any landed property. But we are not Bangladeshis," said Muzaffar Sheikh, who runs a mobile phone repair shop in Kasila. Hindus and tribals echo the sentiment.

There's fear too after Muslims reportedly pelted Hindu homes with stones in the Taranagar-Ilami area of Pakur in July, after a Muslim boy was beaten up by a mob following reports that he had recorded a video of a Hindu girl and had intended to upload it on social media. The incident found mention in Lok Sabha, with BJP MP from Godda Nishikant Dubey saying Hindus have begun fleeing the area.

While allegations of infiltration fly high and thick, locals say people from Bangladesh, who have valid visas, come to India to buy stuff cheap or meet relatives. "The hazards of crossing over doesn't make it viable," said Samir Saha, a traffic assistant with Dhuliyan Municipal Corporation, in Murshidabad district of West Bengal that shares a border with Pakur.

Fencing has come up across the border, 90% of which is complete, with the western-most point of Bangladesh - Manakosa Union in Rajshahi division - protruding into Sovapur panchayat.

"Dada, amra ki Bangladeshi? (You think we are Bangladeshis?)", asked Sanjay Saha, a shopkeeper at Dhuliyan ferry ghat, with a chuckle.

Narendra Singh, assistant commandant at BSF's Sovapur outpost, said there have been five infiltration attempts in the last two years. "The last such attempt was nine months ago," he said. Singh said people are more interested in smuggling goods than crossing the border to settle. "People from both countries live close to the border, and they have to venture across the fence sometimes, but we keep their identity cards at the checkpost," Singh added. "Allegations of infiltration and branding locals as foreigners are tearing apart the centuries-old, close-knit social fabric," said former MLA Aquil Akhtar

Key NDA partner AJSU Party, which has fielded its candidate in Pakur, did not include the issue of infiltration in its manifesto.