question”? reflected on the nexus between the state and global capital to induce forced migration in the recent times in West Bengal. On 14 March 2007, something unprecedented happened in history of West Bengal. The platform on which the Government of West Bengal came to power   (land redistribution, food for all and minority rights) fell flat when fourteen people were killed in a police firing in Nandigram in Midnapore District of West Bengal. People in Nandigram were protesting against the proposed land acquisition for a chemical hub. This incident shows that the state has tied with market forces to give a new meaning to the global capital.
State, as we all know have traditionally patronized women at its best and criminalized them also. In North East India and elsewhere we have seen that women have contracted sexually transmitted diseases owing to their vulnerable position. In this context, the issue of vulnerability should not go unnoticed. One’s a migrant, person continues to be a migrant and this happens in many forms and layers. In the case of women, women’s bodies are played out throughout the process of displacement in the form of rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence.
The following day M. Ratnamala, Former President AP Civil Liberties Committee, Hyderabad in her address on “Women and State Violence” began her lecture drawing from her personal experiences in the field of Civil Liberties movement in Andhra Pradesh. She made a clear distinction between Migration and Displacement. Both the concepts are unique in their own nature and both have devastating consequences. With special reference to Andhra Pradesh, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has been using arbitrary measures to acquire the land for several projects. On one side, people are becoming aware of their places and the upcoming projects in their places through media, on the other hand Government knowing all these factors has been using brokers to buy plots continuously and make sure that the displacement happens in a smooth way without any hurdle. In every 

displacement women are the worst affected. Today in the name of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) the State is using violence and displacing the people forcefully. Polavaram and Srisailam irrigation projects have been a peculiar example for development and displacement. The State Government is not interested in the backward regions of Andhra Pradesh; instead, it wants all the fertile and rich land. Even today the displaced people of Srisailam project have not got compensation. The compensation is shown only on the papers but they have not reached the people. In concluding remarks the speaker expressed agony for the fact that the self-respect of the women being Dalits, oppressed and all the weaker sections are in trouble and it has to be addressed.
On 23 February 2008 there were two parallel group discussions. The discussion on gender and refugee law began with the various categories of people who have been subject to forced migration.  Refugees are the only people who cross international borders.  Further, not all those who cross borders are refugees.  They have to prove political persecution as per the UN Convention on the protection of Refugees 1961 and Additional Protocol, 1967 to claim refugee status.  Internally displaced persons, on the other hand, do not cross the internationally recognized borders of their country. In this context, the case of Bangladeshi nationals migrating to India is an exception because Bangladeshi nationals crossing over to West Bengal are not recognized as refugees but are considered migrants.  In such critical cases, the national laws come into play.  In case of Bangladeshis, it is the policy of the WB Govt. that regulates their stay in the state.
Drawing the status of Bangladeshi migrants in West Bengal, it was felt that the state needs to recognize the category to ensure security of people. This is also relevant in the case of Mizoram.  While a large number of Chins continue to arrive