Alarm bells ring as more enter Bengal

As many as six refugee camps are operating in three North Bengal districts,sheltering about 8,000 people,who fled from Kokrajhar because of the ongoing ethnic clashes. Most of them are mostly Muslims.

A senior police officer said,“Chances of provocative action is very high in the area. Earlier,there were at least 8,000 refugees who all are Muslims. Any slightest provocation can lead to serious consequences.”

State administration officials pointed out that as area along the border with Assam has a similar population mix as that of Kokrajhar with a large number of Bodos,Rabhas and Rajbanshis staying,there is always a fear of ethnic flare ups.

For instance,the bordering blocks in Jalpaiguri with Assam have a huge population of Bodos and Rabhas. According to 2001 census,Jalpaiguri district has a population of 34,801 Bodo-speaking people while the population of Rabha tribe is 10,244 and Rajbanshi 18,251. Significantly,the concentration of Bodos is more in the bordering blocks in Jalpaiguri.

“We have posted police teams in sensitive villages and monitoring if SMSes or rumours are being circulated among the villagers. Since the density of Bodos and Rabha tribes is high in the bordering areas,a high alert has been issued,” said the police officer.

Of the six refugee camps,two are at Tufanganj in Cooch Behar district,three in Kumargram and Alipurduar II blocks of Jalpaiguri district and one in Siliguri in Darjeeling district. Initially,the displaced people from Chirang in upper Assam moved to the camps in Jalpaiguri district. But as more and more people started arriving,they shifted to Tufanganj and Siliguri.

The government is distributing food to the refugees and has set up a health camp. “Several refugees came with bullet injuries,who were treated in the camps. Situation is vulnerable,but we have deployed adequate force in the bordering villages,” said North Bengal Development Minister Gautam Deb.