Enclave inhabitants to move SC on Nov 23

“The Constitution states said that the Chitmahals or enclaves are an integral part of the country. We want to know how is it an integral part when residents of these Chitmahals are living the life of stateless people for decades. The governments is not thinking about them. It is not a political crisis. To us,it is a constitutional crisis and a legal crisis as well.”

Meanwhile,it has been learnt that the International Court of Justice has taken up the case of enclave dwellers.

“We have received information that a UN delegation will reach Mumbai in February where they will hear our case,” said Sengupta.

“A five-member team,including our legal adviser,and I will appear before them in the first week of February,” added Sengupta .

Two years have passed since a protocol on the enclave exchange was signed between the Government of India and Government of Bangladesh.

The protocol was signed in September 2011 when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Bangladesh. However,the protocol is yet to be implemented,neither the bill on the land boundary agreement could be passed in Parliament.

The protocol signed between the prime ministers of the two countries clears the way for granting Indian citizenship to about 20,000 people living in 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in Indian territory and Bangladeshi citizenship to about 31,000 living in 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh territory.

“The main allegation we have is against the election commission which never included the enclave dwellers in the electoral roll,though the government has accepted that the people living in the Indian enclaves are Indians. The enclave dwellers now want to know their status. We will represent these facts before the apex court,” said Sengupta.

According to a joint census conducted in 2011 by India and Bangladesh,the population in these 51 enclaves is around 20,000,of whom 15,000 are eligible to vote. Of the 15,000 voters,around 5,000 have got their EPICs in exchange for handsome premiums paid to the government officials.