Refugees in India

Since 1947, India has welcomed many people who had to leave their homes. These include people from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tibet, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. By 2021, there were thousands of refugees living in special camps in India.

Tibetan refugee self-help center in Darjeeling, West Bengal

India does not have a special law just for refugees, but it tries to treat them kindly. Leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru said that refugees should be welcomed and helped until it is safe for them to go home. Even without a special law, India's highest court has said that the government must protect refugees' rights.

Even though India is not part of an international agreement about refugees from 1951, it still works to help them through government decisions and special services. Refugees in India are treated similarly to visitors from other countries, following rules set in a law from 1946.

History

For many centuries, the Indian subcontinent has welcomed people who had to leave their homes because they were treated badly in their own countries.

One such group was the Parsis, a Zoroastrian community. They moved to the area now known as Gujarat long ago, between the 12th and 16th centuries. Later, more Zoroastrians came from Iran, called Iranis, when they faced trouble in the 1800s and early 1900s. When India became independent, these groups became legal citizens of India.

Legal framework

Citizenship

India’s rules about who can become a citizen are in the Citizenship Act. This act was made in 1955 and has been changed many times. It helps decide who is an Indian citizen.

There is a list called the National Register of Citizens. It has the names of people who are citizens, especially in Assam. This list was first made after a count of people in 1951 but wasn’t updated until a court ordered it in 2013. Now, different parts of India are working on updating this list.

Legal refugees

India’s rules for citizenship mainly look at whether your parents or grandparents were citizens, not just where you were born. Over the years, India has helped refugees from Tibet and Sri Lanka. They get free schooling and documents to prove who they are.

In 2019, a new law was passed. It would allow people from some nearby countries, like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, to become Indian citizens more easily if they belong to certain groups. However, this law does not apply to everyone, and some people worry that it leaves out others, like people from Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan.

Illegal migrants

People who are in India without the right papers are called illegal immigrants. India does not consider these people to be refugees. Because India did not agree to a worldwide rule about protecting refugees, illegal immigrants can be sent back to their home countries. There are laws that let the government hold and send away people who enter India without permission. Some people worry that illegal immigrants might cause safety problems, especially in certain areas. The government says it wants to send illegal immigrants back fairly.

Religious refugees

Afghanistan

Today, there are Afghan refugees in India. Most follow Islam or Sikhism. The Indian government has allowed the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in India to help them. In 2015, India gave citizenship to some Hindu and Sikh refugees. Most were from Afghanistan.

Bangladesh

Many people from East Bengal moved to West Bengal in 1947. Chakmas are a Buddhist community from Bangladesh. They moved to the southern part of Mizoram after a big dam was built.

In 2001, the BBC reported that some Bangladeshi families came to India.

Pakistan

Partition of India

After the partition of India, many people moved between India and Pakistan to find safety. Many travelled through Punjab.

Tibetan woman in an Indian refugee camp

Recent arrivals

People who are not Muslims sometimes face unfair treatment in Pakistan. Because of this, some Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan have come to India. There are settlements for them in Indian cities.

Tibet

Many refugees come from Tibet. The 14th Dalai Lama, a leader of the Tibetan people, left Tibet for India in 1959. He was followed by many Tibetan refugees. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru agreed to let them live in India. The Tibetan community has a government called the Central Tibetan Administration, based in McLeod Ganj, a part of Dharamshala, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh.

In 1960, the government of Mysore State gave land to Tibetan refugees. Settlements were created in Karnataka. Other states have also given land for Tibetans.

The government of India has built special schools for Tibetans. Tibetans have documents they must renew. Another document lets them travel outside India.

Citizenship Amendment Act 2019

The Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019 offers a way to become an Indian citizen for some religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Refugees from these groups who arrived before December 31, 2014, can become citizens. The law became effective in January 2020.

Refugees facing ethnic persecution

Ugandans of Indian-origin expelled in 1972

Main article: Expulsion of Asians from Uganda

In 1972, many people from India had to leave their homes in Uganda. The leader of Uganda, Idi Amin, asked almost 80,000 people from India to leave. Many of these people had moved to Uganda after facing trouble in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Those who practiced Indic religions, like Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs, were welcomed as refugees in India.

Expelled Asians in the Netherlands after leaving Uganda, 1972

Sri Lankan Tamils

Main articles: Sri Lankan Tamils in India and Sri Lankan Civil War

Over 100,000 people from Sri Lanka, called Tamils, now live in India. They moved mainly during a long and difficult time in Sri Lanka known as the Sri Lankan Civil War, which lasted from 1983 to 2009. Most of these Tamils live in southern India, in places like Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, as well as Bengaluru in Karnataka and Kerala.

Demography

Immigration of Afghan, Bangladeshi and Pakistani, Hindus and Sikhs into India

Hindu and Sikh refugees coming to India during partition

Many people from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have moved to live in India. Some of these people are Hindus and Sikhs who left their homes because it was not safe there. For example, many Bangladeshi Hindus have moved to states like West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya between 1964 and 2013. Also, about 5,000 Hindus from Pakistan come to India every year as refugees.

In Afghanistan, most Hindu and Sikh people left the country during hard times in the 1990s. By 2020, only a few remained.

Hindu and Sikh refugees in Indian refugee camp

Projections

Some experts think that between 2020 and 2050, many Hindus may continue to move from Bangladesh and Pakistan to India each year.

Refugees in India