Illegal migrants from Bangladesh must be expelled from the country, says Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani, while cautioning the government against harassing Muslim citizens of India in the process. “Illegal migrants, whether Muslims or Hindus, must be detected and expelled in accordance with the due process of law. But hounding out people just because they are Muslims and (sport) a beard cannot be accepted. Care must be taken to make sure that genuine citizens are not humiliated during the detection process,” Maulana Madani told reporters.
The Maulana was in Guwahati to participate in a conclave organised by the Assam unit of the Jamiat on August 19. It is being held in the backdrop of a sudden intensification of the movement against illegal Bangladeshi migration and charges that genuine Muslim citizens are being harassed.
“There have been many instances of student and youth activists rounding up suspected illegal migrants. This amounts to taking the law into one’s own hands. Illegal migrants must go but not a single genuine citizen can be thrown out,” said the Maulana.
“I am happy that the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government in Assam has promised to make sure no genuine Muslims are harassed while going ahead with the process of identifying illegal migrants. But promise must be translated into action,” Madani said.