Assam: Organisation demands citizenship for persecuted Hindus

28 July 2018:

A lesser-known organisation – Bengali Janamukti Force (BJF) – has demanded the Centre grant citizenship to all persecuted Hindus of Bangladesh living in India.

A BJF delegation, led by its president Ranjan Sarkar and “chief commander” Kamal Paul, met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and his deputy Kiren Rijiju demanding the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

The organisation alleged that Bengali Hindus were being harassed by a section of officials suspecting them to be illegal immigrants.

“Despite the possession of documentary evidence about their stay in the country from before March 24, 1971, the Bengali Hindus are arbitrarily branded as illegal immigrants and sent to detention camps. These people should be immediately released,” the BJF demanded during their meeting with Singh and Rijiju.