Uttar Pradesh: Six decades after they fled persecution in East Pakistan, Yogi Adityanath govt to grant land-ownership right to thousands of Bangladeshi Hindu refugees

The Uttar Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has announced a major decision to grant land ownership rights to nearly 10,000 Hindu and Sikh refugee families who migrated from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the Partition. These families were settled in districts like Lakhimpur Kheri, Rampur, Pilibhit, and Bijnor and had been living on government-allotted land without legal ownership for over 70 years. Until now, laws like the Government Grants Act of 1895 prevented them from selling, mortgaging, or transferring the land. To address this, the state has formed a committee to prepare new legislation that will provide these families full ownership rights, allowing them to legally own, sell, and access agricultural benefits. This move is seen as a significant step toward correcting a long-standing historical injustice and ensuring the economic and legal empowerment of Hindu and Sikh refugees who have remained stateless in terms of land ownership for decades.

Source :https://www.opindia.com/2025/07/uttar-pradesh-yogi-adityanath-east-pakistan-hindu-refugees-land-ownership/