The Bharat Raksha Manch (BRM) on Friday released details of a letter written to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the matter of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and its implications for Odisha.
Murali Manohar Sharma of the BRM told reporters that Odisha has been and remains one of the most vulnerable States for illegal immigrants. With its long porous coastline, Odisha has been a favourite destination for Bangladeshis. When the final draft of the NRC is released, the possibility of influx of persons who would not figure looms large. The State should take measures to tackle the huge influx.
BRM national secretary Anil Dhir said other States have started taking steps to ensure that those left out of the Assam Draft do not infiltrate their regions. Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura and Meghalaya have put alerts in their borders.
The large unchecked infiltration into Odisha that has been going on for years has developed into a whole impenetrable network. The profusion of Madrasas and mosques all over the State, especially in the coastal regions, the increasing crime rates, antinational activities, etc.. have all been glossed over by the administration, Dhir said.
The ten-point agenda given to the CM for immediate implementation includes starting a process of conducting the NRC in Odisha with a request to the Registrar General of India to initiate the process and making the Marine police stations effective as all of them are defunct with no cases of infiltration being reported till date.
The State Government should immediately restart the Biometric Card issuance to all fishermen who venture into the sea. The Government should make a list of the Madrasas that have come up in the last decade and keep a close eye on their activities and ask the district Collectors and SPs to make thana-wise listing of the bastis, ghettoes, paras, localities where concentrations of Bangladeshi immigrants are there and keep a close watch on their activities.
The agenda further said community radio services should be monitored in the coastal regions. The Kendrapada police had detected and destroyed eight private radio stations a few years ago.
It was pointed out that the Chief Minister had, in 2015, declared on the floor of the State Assembly that 3,987 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were present in the State. Steps should be taken for their deportation. The Government should put up checkpoints at the borders for preventing entry of illegal Bangladeshis. The Voter ID cards, Aadhaar cards, ration cards, Pan cards, passports, etc., especially those issued in West Bengal should be reexamined.
A special taskforce should be created for detection of the illegal immigrants, many of whom are employed as private security guards even in vital Government installations and offices. A public awareness campaign should be launched in the interest of national and the State’s security where ordinary citizens should be asked to keep watch and inform police about any strangers and unnatural activities in their areas.