Enclaves: Indian citizenship in demand

“We want Indian citizenship if the enclaves are exchanged. If the Indian enclaves are handed over to India,then we will get Indian citizenship automatically,but if it is decided that the Indian enclaves will be included in the territory of Bangladesh then we have to accept Bangladeshi citizenship,which we don’t want. In such an event we will spearhead a greater movement,” said Mohsin Ali of Panishala village,an Indian enclave in Bangladesh,over phone.

Mostafa,a leader of India-Bangladesh Enclaves Exchange Coordination Committee (IBEECC) in Bangladesh said that of the 31,000 residents of Indian enclaves in Bangladesh,they have received requests for getting Indian citizenship from nearly 5,000 residents,which is nearly 16 per cent. “We are yet to know what options will be given to the residents of the Indian enclaves in Bangladesh,” added Mostafa.

His colleague in India,Diptiman Sengupta,however,said the reports from Indian enclaves in Bangaldesh suggest that 2-5 per cent of the total population wants to opt for Indian citizenship.

“We are yet to get a clear picture about who wants what. We have suggested that both the governments should conduct a poll to decide on the population’s citizenship and who wants what. The government can do it as both the countries have the total head count of the enclaves in their territory,” added Sengupta.

Meanwhile,IBEECC has started preparing a list of the people who want to shift from their present address in the event of enclave swap.