LUCKNOW, July 22 -- Residents of Ramnagar village in Puranpur tehsil of Pilibhit district welcomed chief minister Yogi Adityanath's decision to grant legal land ownership rights to families displaced from East Pakistan. The Bengali speaking people who migrated post-Partition and during 1971 Indo- Pak war to seek refuge in India were allotted land near the Sharda river in Pilibhit. Vivek Mistri, 45, resident of Ramnagar, said, "We are settled on irrigation department land and have been served an eviction notice by the department. I was born in Ramnagar village. Though we have been settled for three generations, the local administration treats us as outsiders." "We have to run from pillar to post to get the benefit of the schemes launched by the government. The announcement by chief minister Yogi Adityanath to grant us legal rights of the land has come as a ray of hope after years of struggle. We will be treated at par with the local people and will have all the rights," he said. Mistri is not alone. There are thousands of Hindus of Bangladeshi origin settled in 10 gram panchayats near Sharda Sagar dam. These gram panchayats include Kundannagar, Bidhipur, Najaulia Natka, Gabia, Maharajpur, Nagoria Lalpur, Ramnagar, Sela and Dhuria. A majority of the residents have Aadhaar cards, voter identity cards and ration cards. The children are enrolled in local schools. In April 2024, the villagers submitted an application on the Indian Citizenship online portal launched after the notification of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rules by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for registration as Indian citizens. Sapan Das, 55, who came from Faridpur district in Bangladesh, said, "We have been staying in Pilibhit for three decades but have no ownership rights on the land on which we are settled. Our future seemed uncertain as we were leading the life of refugees. In contrast, the Sikhs who came from West Pakistan got land registered in their names and were enjoying all the rights over their property." Dr Mukund Biswas, who runs a medical centre, said his forefathers migrated from Khulna in Bangladesh to Ramnagar in Pilibhit district. "In 1989, we were relocated near Sharda Sagar Dam after our village was eroded due to a change in the river's course. We are settled on irrigation department land and are not permitted to construct pucca houses. A majority of migrants have been forced to live in huts for several decades," he said. "We spent our life struggling for the rights over the land. The decision of the CM to provide legal ownership of the land will ensure a better life for the young generation," he said. The state government should also resolve the caste certificate issue, said Sameer Mandal. He added the Bengali community consists of the OBCs, SCs and upper caste people but "we are issued general category certificates by the administration." "The children from the OBC and SC communities do not get benefits of the schemes launched for deprived sections," he said. Bharatiya Janata Party district unit leader Sunil Gangwar said there are 6.5% Bengali voters in Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency."The BJP government is working for their welfare. Along with launching various schemes in the villages, the state government will ensure that displaced families get ownership of the land on which they are settled for generations," he said....