Abstract
India is the largest refugee absorbent country in South Asia. While India has provided shelter to asylum seekers, for example partition displaced refugees from West and East Pakistan, Tibetans, Tamils from Sri Lanka, Bhutanese refugees from Nepal, Afghans, Rohingya or other refugees from Myanmar, as well as refugees from Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, yet it is not a signatory either to the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1964 Protocol. So there remains a gap in terms of a stable legal framework for refugee protection in India, which makes the status of the refugees a precarious one. This chapter discusses such a scenario regarding the Chakmas of Chittagong Hill Tracts, who were the worst sufferers, as they migrated from then East Pakistan to North-East India. The Chakmas and Hajongs, who landed in Arunachal Pradesh, remained as ‘stateless persons’ since they were kept outside the purview of the Citizenship Act of 1955. This chapter highlights their precarious status, of being neither a refugee nor recognized as a migrant. They were often caught up amidst the tension between state–centre binaries, perceived tribal resentments in North-East India and the threats of statelessness.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
