From displacement to resilience: The life of Bangladeshi refugees in Raichur Premium

The struggles and hopes of Bangladeshi immigrants who came to Raichur in Karnataka.

Anil Roy, a resident of a small village near Batiaghata in Khulna district, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), was just 16 when he fled his homeland in 1971, seeking refuge in India. The country was embroiled in the Liberation War, with communal violence sweeping cities, towns, and the countryside.

A month before his scheduled matriculation exams, Roy packed a few books and notes and, along with his parents, grandparents, and three brothers, prepared to leave their motherland. His parents had arranged an “agent”, a Muslim man who risked his life to help fleeing Hindu families cross into India, for a fee.

Four other Hindu families from their village had also enlisted the same agent’s help. Leaving behind their agricultural lands, homes, and other possessions, they offered all they could to secure their passage across the border. The agent first sheltered the families with relatives and then moved them from one location to another under the cover of night, inching closer to the Indian border.

After several days and nights, they finally crossed the border at a remote location in West Bengal. Upon arrival, each member received a Relief Eligibility Certificate, or “border slip”, from Indian authorities, allowing them to settle in India.

Roy’s family initially stayed in West Bengal before being relocated to a refugee relief camp in Madhya Pradesh. Eventually, they were moved to one of five Rehabilitation Camps (RH Camps) near Sindhanur in Raichur district, Karnataka.

“It’s hard to imagine what it feels like to leave the country where you grew up with relatives, friends, and ancestral memories,” Roy, now 68, told The Hindu outside his home at RH Camp 2 near Sindhanur, tears streaming down his face.

Roy was among the over 10 million people who fled East Pakistan in 1971. At the time, the conflict between the Mukti Bahini, a Bengali nationalist militia fighting for self-determination, and the West Pakistan-controlled armed forces was at its peak.