Ranchi, Sep 20 (IANS): The Jharkhand High Court on Friday reserved its order on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking an investigation into alleged Bangladeshi infiltration in the Santhal Pargana division of the state. The court reserved its decision after hearing arguments from both the petitioner and the state government.

During the hearing, senior Supreme Court advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared virtually on behalf of the Jharkhand government, argued that the issue is being politicised ahead of the forthcoming state Assembly elections. He noted that the affidavit filed by the Union government lacks concrete data on the presence of Bangladeshi intruders in Jharkhand. He also pointed out that a related case is pending in the Supreme Court.

The High Court questioned whether forming a committee to investigate the matter would pose any problem.

Representing the Centre, Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta presented data from the last Census, which reportedly shows a decline in the tribal population in the Santhal Pargana region.

Earlier, the Union government filed an affidavit proposing the formation of a fact-finding committee, jointly constituted by the central and state governments, to investigate the issue of Bangladeshi infiltration in Santhal Pargana. A meeting between the Union Home Secretary and the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand is scheduled by September 30 to discuss the matter.

The proposed committee's mandate would include identifying illegal immigrants in Deoghar, Godda, Sahibganj, Pakur, Dumka, and Jamtara, and providing recommendations on their repatriation.

The PIL was filed by Jamshedpur resident Daniel Danish, who claimed that Bangladeshi infiltrators are entering Jharkhand through border areas such as Jamtara, Pakur, Godda, and Sahibganj, adversely affecting the demographic composition of these districts. He further alleged that numerous madrasas are being established in these areas, and that matrimonial relations are being formed with local tribals, altering the demographic balance.

According to data presented by the petitioner, citing the National Census, the tribal population in the Santhal Pargana region has declined from 44.67 per cent in 1951 to 28.11 per cent in 2011, a trend attributed largely to Bangladeshi infiltration. The petitioner warned that if this trend is not addressed, it could lead to serious consequences.