Bangladeshi Refugees in Gadchiroli Seek Citizenship Amid CAA and SIR Uncertainty A growing number of Bangladeshi refugees in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, are navigating a complex legal landscape as they attempt to secure citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) amid heightened fears of deportation linked to the State Integration Register (SIR). The situation has sparked anxiety among long-term residents, many of whom arrived in India during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and have since settled in the region. With the SIR initiative prompting concerns about identity verification, dozens of individuals have filed applications for citizenship, though the process remains fraught with uncertainty. Nikhilesh Adhikari, a lawyer representing several applicants, noted that over 30 people have submitted their cases for review, with more awaiting their turn. “Their cases remain under review for over three months,” Adhikari said, highlighting the prolonged bureaucratic delays. He explained that the SIR, which aims to identify and register non-citizens, has created a climate of panic. “They think once the names are deleted from the voters’ list, it may form a basis for marking them as infiltrators,” he added. Adhikari, who also works with the Nikhil Bangla Samanbay Samiti, an association for former East Pakistan and Bangladeshi immigrants, emphasized that the fear of expulsion has driven many to come forward. The refugees, who settled in Gadchiroli and surrounding villages like Tarunnagar and Bhawanipore, face a precarious legal status. Sanjay Sarkar, a vegetable seller from Khulna, Bangladesh, described his decision to declare his identity as Bangladeshi. “Life wasn’t easy in Bangladesh. There was no mob violence like these days then, but taunts and intimidation were normal, so I came here to live with dignity,” he said.#maharashtra #gadchiroli #sir #bangladeshi_refugees #caa
