UCRC is the largest organization of refugees in India that has been working to secure the rights of refugees since its birth in 1950. Partition resulted in mass migration of unprecedented proportions and led to unimaginable misery of countless people on both sides of the border. West Bengal was inundated by the tide of millions of refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan in the wake of communal violence, sense of insecurity, economic crisis and political turbulence after the division of India. Though more than a million refugees from East Pakistan crossed over to West Bengal immediately after Partition, both the Central and State Governments addressed the issues or settlement and rehabilitation of refugees in a half-hearted manner.Refugees languished on crowded railway station platforms and makeshift refugee camps, receiving meagre amount of food and water from government agencies and social welfare organizations. A section of the uprooted masses responded to the brutal indifference of the Government by setting up colonies on unoccupied and marshy lands. These colonies termed as ‘Jabardakhal colonies’ stretched from Naihati in North 24 Parganas to Jadavpur in South 24 Parganas. By 1949 there were 149 ‘Jabardakhal colonies’ where about 1.5 lakh refugees lived. Despite terrible hardship of these hapless people who were forcibly driven out of their homes and hearths as a consequence of sudden turn of events after Partition, Indian Government as well as West Bengal State Government refused to acknowledge their rights and treated the refugees as outcasts. Though several small organizations were working for the well-being of the refugees since 1948, a crucial need was felt to set up a state level refugee organization which would wage united struggle to achieve the demands of the refugees.
UCRC was born in such a historical juncture in 1950. The first unity conference of several refugee organizations and like-minded political activists that led to the emergence of UCRC was held in Kolkata from 11th to 12th August, 1950 where 800 delegates took part representing all existing refugee organizations , different colonies, political parties and mass organizations of West Bengal. A mass meeting attended by more than one lakh people was held at the foot of the Monument to mark the birth of UCRC, which would emerge as the most formidable organization of refugees in the days to come.
Next few decades bear testimony to the tremendous organizational ability of UCRC leadership and the steely resolve of the refugee masses who strove ceaselessly to achieve their legitimate demands. The first major success of UCRC was thwarting the attempt of the State Government to evict the refugee settlers from the ‘Jabardakhal colonies’. When Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, the then CM of West Bengal brought a legislation in the State Assembly in the form of Act XVI,1951, infamously known as Eviction Act, UCRC mobilized the refugees and formed Eviction Resistance Committee which organised massive agitations in all the refugee settlements. Prominent Left leaders like Jyoti Basu and Bankim Mukherjee played a pivotal role in exposing the anti-refugee policy of the state government. As a result of the relentless struggle against Eviction Bill no refugee family was evicted from any of the squatters' colonies.
Refugees suffered terribly in different camps set up by the government. Hunger, disease and death stalked refugee settlements everywhere as the government was hostile to these poor but untamed masses and did not take substantial measures to alleviate their sufferings. The rate of mortality among the children of refugee households was alarming as there was very inadequate medical facilities for them. UCRC not only demanded economic rehabilitation of the refugees, but also overall infrastructural development of all refugee colonies.
During the first three decades of Partition police atrocities on the agitating refugees resulted in several deaths and imprisonment of a great many refugee activists . When the Central Government announced Project Dandakaranya and directed the West Bengal State Government to send refugee families to that arid area , UCRC criticised the government for forcing the homeless people to settle in a completely unfamiliar terrain without exploring the possibility of their rehabilitation in West Bengal. However, the State Government closed the refugee camps and forced the bulk of the refugees to move to Dandakaranya. Those unwilling to move faced repression. UCRC stood rock solid behind them.
As a result of the relentless struggle waged by the refugees under the banner of UCRC, several demands could be achieved which included recognition of more than 1500 refugee colonies, release of government funds for refugee welfare and above all land rights for a large section of the refugee population in West Bengal during Left rule . Left Front government under the leadership of late Jyoti Basu first issued free hold title deed( FHTD) to refugee families and was able to secure financial grant from the Centre for development of refugee colonies. First Left Front government constituted Refugee Rehabilitation Committee under the Chairmanship of veteran Communist leader and General Secretary of UCRC, Sri Samar Mukherjee to assess the problems of refugees and to seek suggestions for redressal of their grievances. Afterwards, LF government's department of Refugee Rehabilitation tried to implement different recommendations of RR Committee despite financial constraints and played a vital role in improving the living condition of refugees.
It is a matter of concern that the refugee crisis has assumed a new and serious dimension in recent years . Especially in the context of NRC exercise in Assam and passing of CAA in Parliament , major confusion has started to generate around the issue of citizenship. UCRC affirms that the refugees, being the victims of Partition are citizens of India and any attempt to raise doubt about their citizenship is politically motivated. UCRC has opposed both NRC and CAA as both are divisive moves that are detrimental to the interests of the poor and the uprooted people. UCRC is also concerned about the deprivation faced by Bengali refugees outside West Bengal. It is a matter of shame that till today the Bengali refugees settled in different provinces outside West Bengal have been denied permanent land rights. Their language and culture are also endangered as the respective state governments do not take any concrete step to preserve the cultural distinctiveness of Bengali refugees.
As a result of the relentless struggle waged by the refugees under the banner of UCRC, several demands could be achieved which included recognition of more than 1500 refugee colonies, release of government funds for refugee welfare and above all land rights for a large section of the refugee population in West Bengal during Left rule . Left Front government under the leadership of late Jyoti Basu first issued free hold title deed( FHTD) to refugee families and was able to secure financial grant from the Centre for development of refugee colonies. First Left Front government constituted Refugee Rehabilitation Committee under the Chairmanship of veteran Communist leader and General Secretary of UCRC, Sri Samar Mukherjee to assess the problems of refugees and to seek suggestions for redressal of their grievances. Afterwards, LF government's department of Refugee Rehabilitation tried to implement different recommendations of RR Committee despite financial constraints and played a vital role in improving the living condition of refugees.
UCRC has a glorious legacy of struggle and resilience since 1950. It has always raised voice against discriminatory attitude towards the refugees and mobilized the deprived masses to secure their unfulfilled demands.It regularly organises different programmes to highlight the unresolved issues of the refugees. It has organizational presence in every district of West Bengal and will continue to stand by the refugees in the days to come.
