INDIA: Large numbers of IDPs are unassisted and in need of protection A profile of the internal displacement situation 3 May, 2007 This Internal Displacement Profile is automatically generated from the online IDP database of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). It includes an overview of the internal displacement situation in the country prepared by the IDMC, followed by a compilation of excerpts from relevant reports by a variety of different sources. All headlines as well as the bullet point summaries at the beginning of each chapter were added by the IDMC to facilitate navigation through the Profile. Where dates in brackets are added to headlines, they indicate the publication date of the most recent source used in the respective chapter. The views expressed in the reports compiled in this Profile are not necessarily shared by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. The Profile is also available online at www.internal-displacement.org. About the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, established in 1998 by the Norwegian Refugee Council, is the leading international body monitoring conflict-induced internal displacement worldwide. Through its work, the Centre contributes to improving national and international capacities to protect and assist the millions of people around the globe who have been displaced within their own country as a result of conflicts or human rights violations. At the request of the United Nations, the Geneva-based Centre runs an online database providing comprehensive information and analysis on internal displacement in some 50 countries. Based on its monitoring and data collection activities, the Centre advocates for durable solutions to the plight of the internally displaced in line with international standards. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre also carries out training activities to enhance the capacity of local actors to respond to the needs of internally displaced people. In its work, the Centre cooperates with and provides support to local and national civil society initiatives. For more information, visit the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre website and the database at www.internal-displacement.org. Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre Norwegian Refugee Council Chemin de Balexert 7-9 1219 Geneva, Switzerland Tel.: +41 22 799 07 00 [email protected] www.internal-displacement.org 2 CONTENTS CONTENTS 3 OVERVIEW 10 INDIA: LARGE NUMBERS OF IDPS ARE UNASSISTED AND IN NEED OF PROTECTION 10 CAUSES AND BACKGROUND 19 GENERAL 19 FOUR CATEGORIES OF INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN INDIA 19 INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN KASHMIR 20 SINCE 1989, CONFLICT BETWEEN THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND SEPARATIST MILITANTS MADE KASHMIRI PANDITS FLEE THE VALLEY (2005) 20 DISPLACEMENT IN JAMMU & KASHMIR DUE TO MILITARY TENSIONS AND ARMED CLASHES BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN (DECEMBER 2006) 23 INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN THE NORTH-EAST 25 SHORT PRESENTATION OF THE EIGHT NORTH-EASTERN STATES 25 GENERAL BACKGROUND TO INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN NORTH-EAST INDIA (NOVEMBER 2004) 27 ASSAM: GENERAL CAUSES FOR DISPLACEMENT (JANUARY 2006) 29 ASSAM: CLASHES BETWEEN KARBIS AND DIMASAS DISPLACE OVER 40,000 (JANUARY 2006) 31 ASSAM: MUSLIMS OF BENGALI ORIGIN EVICTED BY NATIONALIST GROUPS (JUNE 2005) 32 ASSAM: VIOLENCE AGAINST HINDI-SPEAKING PEOPLE FORCED THOUSANDS TO FLEE THE STATE (JANUARY 2007) 33 ASSAM: INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN THE BODO-SANTHAL CONFLICT (DECEMBER 2006) 34 TRIPURA: DISPLACEMENT DUE TO CONSTRUCTION OF FENCE ALONG THE BORDER WITH BANGLADESH (SEPTEMBER 2005) 36 TRIPURA: 4,500 TRIBALS DISPLACED BY INSURGENT GROUPS (MAY 2006) 37 TRIPURA: INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT DUE TO CONFLICT BETWEEN TRIBALS AND NON-TRIBALS (JULY 2004) 38 TRIPURA: INTERNALLY DISPLACED REANGS FROM MIZORAM (MARCH 2005) 41 MANIPUR: CLASHES BETWEEN ETHNIC ARMED GROUPS IS THE MAIN THREAT FOR THE CIVILIAN POPULATION (2007) 43 MANIPUR: ETHNIC CLASHES AND SECURITY OPERATIONS DISPLACED THOUSANDS DURING 2006 (JANUARY 2007) 46 MANIPUR: DISPLACEMENT OF NAGAS (2006) 47 ARUNACHAL PRADESH: THREATS AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CHAKMAS (2000- APRIL 2004) 50 DISPLACEMENT OF NEPALIS IN NORTH-EAST INDIA (MARCH 2007) 52 INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN WEST-BENGAL 53 3 DISPLACEMENT REPORTED IN THE WEST-BENGAL DISTRICT OF NORTH DINAJPUR DUE TO CLASHES BETWEEN BORDER GUARD FORCES (FEBRUARY 2005) 53 INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN CENTRAL INDIA 54 CENTRAL AND EAST INDIA: DISPLACEMENT ON THE INCREASE BECAUSE OF FIGHTING BETWEEN LEFTIST EXTREMIST GROUPS AND GOVERNMENT FORCES (JANUARY 2007) 54 CHHATTISGARH: THE CONFLICT INTENSIFIES (MARCH 2007) 57 INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN GUJARAT 59 GUJARAT: DISPLACEMENT DUE TO COMMUNAL VIOLENCE (APRIL 2002-2003) 59 THOUSANDS ARE STILL INTERNALLY DISPLACED AND LIVE IN "RELIEF COLONIES" (MARCH 2007) 61 INFORMATION ABOUT DISPLACEMENT OF DALITS 63 DISPLACEMENT OF DALITS (FEBRUARY 2007) 63 DEVELOPMENT INDUCED DISPLACEMENT 64 LINKS TO INFORMATION ON DEVELOPMENT-INDUCED DISPLACEMENT IN INDIA 64 POPULATION FIGURES AND PROFILE 67 GLOBAL FIGURES 67 DISPLACEMENT FIGURES (2000 - FEBRUARY 2007) 67 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 71 NUMBER OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED KASHMIRI PANDITS FROM THE KASHMIRI VALLEY SINCE 1989 (2007) 71 JAMMU&KASHMIR: OVER 6,000 FAMILIES REMAIN DISPLACED FROM THEIR HOMES ALONG THE LINE OF CONTROL (JANUARY 2007) 74 BY THE END OF 2001, USCRI ESTIMATED A TOTAL OF 157,000 INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN NORTH-EAST INDIA 77 ASSAM: STATE-WIDE ESTIMATES OF NUMBERS OF DISPLACED (JANUARY 2007) 79 ASSAM: INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT OF SANTALS AND BODOS (2003 - DECEMBER 2006 ESTIMATES) 79 ASSAM: ESTIMATES OF INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT OF KARBIS, KUKIS, BIHARIS, HMARS AND DIMASAS (2003- DECEMBER 2005) 82 MANIPUR AND NAGALAND: ESTIMATES OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED (2000-2001) 83 DISPLACEMENT IN MANIPUR REPORTED DURING 2005 86 TRIPURA: CONFLICTING ESTIMATES OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED (2005) 86 GUJARAT: INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT DUE TO COMMUNAL VIOLENCE (MARCH 2007) 88 EAST INDIA: TENS OF THOUSANDS DISPLACED DUE TO NAXALITE INSURGENCY (MARCH 2007) 91 PATTERNS OF DISPLACEMENT 93 GENERAL 93 MINORITY FAMILIES MIGRATE DUE TO SECURITY THREATS IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR (2006) 93 JAMMU AND KASHMIR, PEOPLE LIVING ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER AND LINE OF CONTROL WERE FORCED TO FLEE SEVERAL TIMES DUE TO MILITARY TENSION (2002 – 2003) 94 DISPLACED FROM ETHNIC CLASHES IN THE KARBI ANGLONG AREA MOVED TOWARDS URBAN AREAS – MANY HAVE LEFT THE RELIEF CENTRES (JANUARY 2006) 95 GUJARAT: DISPLACED LIVE IN GHETTOS (DECEMBER 2003) 96 4 ANTI NAXALITE MOVEMENT ACCUSED OF SYSTEMATIC DISPLACEMENT OF CIVILIANS FROM VILLAGES TO CAMPS (DECEMBER 2005) 96 PHYSICAL SECURITY & FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT 97 PHYSICAL SECURITY 97 DISPLACED WOMEN FACE NEGLECT AND DENIAL OF JUSTICE (OCTOBER 2005) 97 JAMMU & KASHMIR: LANDMINES IS A MJOR SECURITY CONCERN ALONG THE LINE OF CONTROL (DECEMBER 2004) 98 ASSAM: INTERNALLY DISPLACED WOMEN ARE SOLD AS SEX SLAVES (APRIL 2007) 98 IN 1996, THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIRECTED THE GOVERNMENT OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH TO ENSURE PROTECTION OF THE LIFE AND PERSONAL LIBERTY OF CHAKMA RESIDENTS (2001) 99 GUJARAT: CLOSURE OF CAMPS FORCED DISPLACED TO RETURN INVOLUNTARILY OR TO FIND SHELTER WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY (JANUARY 2005) 100 GUJARAT: DISPLACED MUSLIM WOMEN ARE STILL VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE (DECEMBER 2003) 101 GUJARAT: DISPLACED WITNESSES TO THE VIOLENCE ARE NOT ADEQUATELY PROTECTED (SEPTEMBER 2004) 102 CHHATTISGARH: INSECURITY IS GROWING (JANUARY 2007) 102 CHHATTISGARH: CHILDREN ARE RECRUITED IN DEFENSE GROUPS - WOMEN ARE SUBJECT TO RAPE AND VIOLENCE (SEPTEMBER 2006) 103 SUBSISTENCE NEEDS 105 GENERAL 105 DESPITE ASSURANCES, DISPARITIES IN RELIEF ASSISTANCE TO IDPS IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR (2007) 105 GOVERNMENT RELIEF PACKAGE TO KASHMIRI PANDITS IS STILL JUDGED INSUFFICIENT (2005) 105 ASSAM: HUMANITARIAN NEEDS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED ARE NOT MET (JANUARY 2007) 107 MANIPUR: CALL FOR RELIEF TO INTERNALLY DISPLACED DUE TO ETHNIC CLASHES AND SECURITY OPERATIONS (JANUARY 2006) 110 TRIPURA: CONDITIONS IN RELIEF CAMPS (2000-2004) 110 GUJARAT: ASSISTANCE TO RELIEF CAMPS WAS INADEQUATE - CLOSURE OF RELIEF CAMPS FURTHER THREATENED SUBSISTENCE NEEDS OF THE DISPLACED (JANUARY 2005) 111 GUJARAT: DISPLACED MOVED TO COLONIES WHERE THEY RECEIVE NO ASSISTANCE (JANUARY 2007) 112 CHHATTISGARH: THE SITUATION IN THE IDP CAMPS REPORTED TO BE DEPLORABLE (SEPTEMBER 2006) 113 HEALTH 114 KASHMIRI PANDITS FACE SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS AFTER MANY YEARS OF DISPLACEMENT (2001-2003) 114 REANG INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN RELIEF CAMPS FACE SERIOUS HEALTH RISKS (MAY 2003) 117 GUJARAT: DISPLACED WOMEN AND CHILDREN SUFFER FROM SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS (JULY, DECEMBER 2003): 117 THE CONFLICT IN THE CHURACHANDPUR DISTRICT OF MANIPUR SEVERELY AFFECTED THE AVAILABILITY OF HEALTH SERVICES (JUNE 2002) 118 5 FOOD AND NUTRITION 119 ASSAM: FOOD SHORTAGES REPORTED FROM CONFLICT AREA (OCTOBER 2005) 119 GUJARAT: MANY DISPLACED FACE A FOOD CRISIS (DECEMBER 2003) 119 SHELTER 120 DESPITE OPPOSITION, KASHMIR STATE GOVERNMENT BUILDS NEW TENEMENTS TO RELOCATE SEVERAL THOUSAND DISPLACED KASHMIR PANDITS (2007) 120 HINDU PANDITS IN JAMMU AND DELHI ARE SHELTERED IN CAMPS WHERE THEY LIVE IN ONE- ROOM TENEMENTS OR COMMUNITY HALLS (SEPTEMBER 2003) 121 HOUSING SITUATION TO BE IMPROVED IN CAMP FOR KASHMIRI PANDITS IN JAMMU (MARCH 2005) 122 CHHATTISGARH: DISPLACED NEED ADEQUATE SHELTER (MARCH 2006) 122 WOMEN AND CHILDREN 122 SURVEY REVEALS MULTIPLE EFFECTS OF THE ARMED CONFLICT ON CHILDREN IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR (AUGUST 2005) 123 ACCESS TO EDUCATION 125 GENERAL 125 ASSAM: MORE THAN 10,000 CHILDREN WITHOUT SCHOOLS AFTER FIGHTING BETWEEN