Amid Bangladesh unrest, Mamata Banerjee opens West Bengal’s door for refugees

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Kolkata, July 21, 2024: As violence continues to grip neighboring Bangladesh, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her willingness to welcome refugees into the state. Speaking at the TMC’s ’Martyrs Day’ rally in Kolkata on Sunday, she assured that Bengal will certainly provide shelter to those in need.

Banerjee cited the United Nations Resolution on refugees to justify her stance on the potential humanitarian crisis resulting from the severe law and order breakdown in Bangladesh over the past few days.

“I should not be speaking on the affairs of Bangladesh since that is a sovereign nation and whatever needs to be said on the issue is a subject matter of the Centre. But I can tell you this, if helpless people come knocking on the doors of Bengal, we will surely provide them shelter,” Banerjee said.

The Bengal CM drew an example from the past, noting how Assamese people were allowed to live in the Alipurduars area of North Bengal for a significant period during the Bodo conflict in the northeastern state.

“That’s because there is a United Nations Resolution to accommodate refugees in regions adjacent to those under turmoil,” the Bengal CM said.

Banerjee also urged the people of West Bengal to remain calm and not be provoked by the current situation in Bangladesh.