Pondy Lit Fest 2024: Kanchan Gupta's 2023 analysis of refugee treatment gains new attention

At the Pondy Lit Fest 2023, senior journalist and public affairs commentator Kanchan Gupta raised significant concerns about the historical treatment of Bengali Hindu refugees, a discussion that has gained renewed attention ahead of the Pondy Lit Fest 2024. Gupta criticised the historical misclassification of Bengali Hindus who migrated from East Pakistan during the mid-20th century.

"These individuals were never officially recognized as 'refugees'," Gupta remarked. Instead, they were categorised as "migrants," a term that trivialised their plight. According to Gupta, this label suggested that these migrants had merely come to visit places like the Calcutta High Court or New Market, and then forgot their way back.

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He further accused the administration led by Jawaharlal Nehru of placing these refugees into what he described as "permanent liability camps" rather than addressing their status appropriately. Gupta highlighted a particularly harsh criticism directed at the Nehru government, alleging that they falsely accused Bengali Hindus of migrating in search of free rations, which, according to him, amounted to little more than a few kilos of inedible rice for just one month.

Drawing a parallel with historical atrocities, Gupta suggested that the camps designated for these refugees bore a resemblance to Hitler's concentration camps, which were essentially termed "labour camps." He argued that Nehru's government, eventually acknowledging the grave conditions, renamed these facilities to "labour camps" in a bid to address the poor management and living conditions.

The Pondy Lit Fest 2024 will take place from September 20 to September 22, 2024, at the Sri Aurobindo Society in Puducherry. It will again feature distinguished speakers addressing crucial historical and contemporary issues under the theme "Bharat in the New Age."

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