UP CM Yogi Adityanath issues order for Bangladesh refugees to get land ownership rights

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday ordered land ownership rights to thousands of refugee families rehabilitated in the state from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), since the 1960s.

The chief minister, according to an official statement, termed the step not just an administrative decision, but a "national responsibility" and an act of "social justice and humanity."

Chairing a meeting, Adityanath instructed district magistrates to ensure time-bound action to resolve long-pending legal and revenue issues that have prevented over 10,000 refugee families — settled in Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bijnor, and Rampur — from obtaining rightful ownership of the land allocated to them.

"These people have endured displacement and hardship for over six decades. This initiative is not merely about land transfer; it is about acknowledging their struggle and restoring dignity," the chief minister said, according to a statement.

He emphasised that officials must deal with these families with "empathy and due respect."

According to officials, thousands of families migrated from East Pakistan between 1960 and 1975 and were resettled in several villages across the four districts.

While agricultural land was allocated to many families through transit camps in the early years, due to legal anomalies, record mismatches, and bureaucratic hurdles, most were never granted formal land titles.

Several of these cases involve land being recorded under forest department ownership, pending mutation processes, or lack of actual possession, leading to uncertainty for the occupants.

In some villages, refugees built permanent homes and cultivated land for decades, but their names still do not appear in official land records. In others, families originally settled have either moved or ceased to exist, complicating claims.

Highlighting the need for legal clarity, Adityanath said that earlier allotments under the now-repealed Government Grants Act should be reviewed in the current legal context to explore new avenues for resolution.

The 2018 repeal of the law has left many such cases in legal limbo, he said. "In cases where land ownership cannot be regularised due to technical reasons, suitable alternative land must be identified.

"This is about ensuring a dignified life for people who have long awaited recognition as rightful citizens," Adityanath said.