An unauthorised ‘CAA camp’ jointly organised by two groups triggered a stir in parts of East Burdwan this afternoon.
In several localities of Memari, organisations, ‘Desher Dak Foundation’ and ‘Memari Udvastu Manch’ – a refugee welfare body – held camps to assist residents in ‘filling up’, submitting and uploading forms said to be required by the Centre to obtain Indian nationality under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The camps were held in Parijatnagar, Maheshdanga and Kailashpur Udaypally, areas largely inhabited by immigrants from Bangladesh. A number of anxious residents reportedly collected the forms.
Debit Sarkar, leader of the foundation, said: “Hindu families, who migrated to these areas before 2014 from Bangladesh will be granted Indian nationality, as the Centre has promised. We arranged the camps in these localities to help people with the process.” The organisers allegedly charged residents Rs 50 per form.
The district Trinamul Congress lodged a police complaint, alleging that the ‘propaganda camps’ were politically motivated. Debu Tudu, state president of TMC’s Tribal Cell, said: “These people are brokers and act as BJP’s covert members. We have demanded police action against the organisers, who are attempting to exploit fear and sow division.”
He added: “There are 64 people involved in the matter, and police have already launched a hunt for them.”