Pilibhit: Heads of more than a dozen Bengali villages and office-bearers of Bengali Adhikar Manch have submitted a memorandum to chief minister Yogi Adityanath, seeking caste classification for Bengali refugees settled in Uttar Pradesh and warning of a statewide protest if the demand was not met.
Vasudev Kundu, district general secretary of the outfit and administrator of Chandi Hajara village panchayat, said more than 11,000 migrant Bengali families were settled in Pilibhit, accounting for around 50,000 voters. Nearly 99% of them belonged to the Namoshudra community, which is recognised as a scheduled caste in eight states, including West Bengal. “The absence of caste classification in Uttar Pradesh has deprived them of reservation benefits and welfare schemes,” he said.
These families migrated from then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, between 1965 and 1975 and were rehabilitated mainly in Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Rampur and Bijnor districts. Each family was allotted three acres of agricultural land for livelihood and a separate plot for housing.
Kundu said the demand had not been accepted by either state govt or Centre even after five decades. He also alleged that Bengali families were not being issued EWS certificates. “The three-acre land allotments made 50 years ago have been divided among family members over generations. The present holdings are too small to even feed a single couple,” he said.
Stay updated with the latest Bareilly news. Download the TOI App.
