Refugees in India

India has seen large influx of refugee populations throughout history.

Refugees from Greater Iran

According to Zoroastrian legend (see Qissa-i Sanjan), a few centuries after the conquest of the Sassanid state and the subsequent collapse of Zoroastrianism as a state-sponsored religion, at least one group of Zoroastrians eventually migrated to what is now the Indian state of Gujarat to maintain their Zoroastrian religious tradition. Although this 16th/17th century legend is taken at face value by the majority of the Parsis, persecution was not yet a significant issue at the time of migration (11th century at the latest). Given that the same legend observes that they migrated from Sanjan (in present-day Turkmenistan), the decline of silk road trade in favour of sea-route trade makes it equally likely that their immigration was economically motivated. For details, see Parsi history.

Although isolated groups of Zoroastrians may be presumed to have immigrated between the 12th and 16th centuries, there is no indication that these were due to persecution (for instance, the Mughal emperor Akbar encouraged relocation of skilled Iranians—irrespective of their religion). Immigration of Zoroastrians for socio-religious reasons is only again documented during Iran's Qajar era (1794-1925) when persecution of non-Muslims was rampant and by which time the Indian Zoroastrians had established special funds to assist their Iranian co-religionists. The descendants of these newer immigrants are known as Iranis.

Partition of India

Massive population exchanges occurred between the two newly-formed nations in the months immediately following Partition. Once the lines were established, about 14.5 million people crossed the borders to what they hoped was the relative safety of religious majority. Based on 1951 Census of displaced persons, 7.226 million Muslims went to Pakistan from India while 7.249 million Hindus and Sikhs (and very small amounts of Muslims) moved to India from Pakistan immediately after partition. About 11.2 million or 78% of the population transfer was on the west, with Punjab accounting for most of it; 5.3 million Muslims moved from India to West Punjab in Pakistan, 3.4 million Hindus and Sikhs moved from Pakistan to East Punjab in India; elsewhere in the west 1.2 million moved in each direction to and from Sind. The initial population transfer on the east involved 3.5 million Hindus moving from East Bengal to India and only 0.7 million Muslims moving the other way.

Tibetan refugees

Following the footsteps of Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama more than 80,000 Tibetan refugees have fled to India during the past 40 years. Peoples' Republic of China entered Tibet as early as 1950 according to some historians and began consolidation of control over Tibet during the reign of the young 14th Dalai Lama. The flash point came in March 1959 when Chinese forces tried to disperse a crowd in front of the Norbulingka palace where Dalai Lama was staying. Consequent upon this Dalai Lama with his nearly 85,000 supporters fled to India and sought asylum. After a series of discussions between the Dalai Lama and Jawaharlal Nehru it was decided to provide all assistance to the Tibetan Refugees to settle down in India for some time, till their eventual return (as it was visualized at that time). Accordingly Government of Mysore (as Karnataka state was called at that time) allotted nearly convert|3000|acre|km2 of land at Bylakuppe in Mysore district in Karnataka in 1960 and the first ever Tibetan exile settlement namely Lugsung Samdupling came into existence in 1961. A few years later another settlement namely Tibetan Dickey Larsoe also called as TDL was established. This was followed by the establishment of three more settlements in Karnataka state making it the state with the largest Tibetan refuee population. Rabgayling settlement was created in Gurupura village near Hunsur, Dhondenling was established at Oderapalya near Kollegal and Doeguling settlement came into being at Mundgod in Uttara Kannada district all in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. At present the population of the Tibetan refugees in India is estimated to be around 120,000.

Refugees from East Pakistan and Bangladesh

During the Bangladesh Liberation War, the Bangladesh-India border was opened to allow the tortured and panic-stricken Bengalis safe shelter in India. The governments of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura established refugee camps along the border. As the massacres in East Pakistan escalated an estimated 10 million refugees fled to India causing financial hardship and instability in that country.

Afghan refugees

More than 60,000 Afghan refugees came to India in the years following the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Indian government does not officially recognize them as refugees, but has allowed the UNHCR to operate a program for them.