(16) Marichjhapi:

Alternatively Marichjhapi is an island set in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans in West Bengal, India. Refers to the forcible eviction of Bangladeshi refugees and the subsequent death of a few by police firing on January 31, 1979.

The refugees who had fled East Pakistan in the sixties, had settled in Dandakaranya. , police opened fire at Marichjhapi in the Sundarbans when the migrants, who had built a thriving community life there, refused to leave. 

The government admitted a few casualties but the Opposition alleged a cold-blooded carnage. Police boats apparently encircled Marichjhapi and dumped bodies in the river, while many drowned while trying to flee. The truth is yet to emerge after 32 years.

Background. The Partition of India in 1947 split the large eastern province of Bengal into two halves, along religious lines. One half became West Bengal, a Hindu-majority province in the new independent state of India. The other half became East Pakistan, the 

Muslim-majority eastern half of Pakistan, and later the independent country of Bangladesh.

 The exodus. The refugees took the invitation to be genuine and as soon as the Left Front government first came to power in Calcutta in 1977, the refugees decided to move back to West Bengal. The refugees had a committee named Udbastu Unnyansil Samity who sent representatives to Bengal. And they decided upon settling in Marichjhapi an island in Sundarbans. The CPI (M) however was no more enthusiastic about them. Now in power they seriously started to consider the impact such exodus might have. However they decided not to be too antagonistic from the beginning and mentioned that the refugees may come but they have to settle themselves, the government will not co-operate.

This warning did not deter the refugees and many families went to the Sundarbans, especially those who were originally from the nearby district of Khulna in Bangladesh, and who already had relatives living from before in clearings in the forest. The massive inflow of refugees were met with severe and violent resistance at many places. They were detained at railway stations for days without food and water. Many were arrested and forcefully deported back to Dandakaranya. But that could not discourage all of the refugees who had sold off their meager belongings and decided to move out of Dandakaranya at any cost. Finally several groups reached at Marichjhanpi and their number was almost 40,000.