India has been the second largest victim of large-scale migration of Rohingyas from Myanmar, with as many as 40,000 of them scattered around the country. The deportation shows the firm resolve of the Indian government in the face of such adversity
New Delhi: India for the first time ever has learnt to say 'enough is enough' by sending a pack of Rohingya Muslims hailing from Myanmar back to their country of origin. This afternoon at 1 PM, many of the Rohingyas lodged for six years in a detention centre in Assam’s Silchar were deported through Manipur’s Moreh area -- the India-Myanmar international border.
The Rohingyas deported had been identified as Md Inus, Md Sabir Ahmed, Md Jamal, Md Salam, Md Mukbul Khan and Md Jamal Hussain. MyNation has exclusive details of their origin. All of them are from the Faida district of Myanmar. Most of them belong to village Keito that falls under Cheptak Police station.
The naysayers may belittele the achievement, but this is for the first time ever that illegal Rohingya Muslims are being deported back to Myanmar.
India has been the second largest victim of large-scale migration of Rohingyas from Myanmar, with as many as 40,000 of them scattered around the country. The deportation shows the firm resolve of the Indian government in the face of such adversity.
Right now, Rohingyas are primarily settled in Jammu, Hyderabad and suburbs of Kolkata. A senior police officer of Manipur told MyNation that there are two illegal entry points of Rohingya Muslims into India: one is through the Moreh border and the other a very complicated route from Myanmar to Bangladesh and finally Tripura in India. Recently, a couple from Uttar Pradesh was arrested for facilitating Rohingya infiltration. They were identified as the mastermind of an illegal human trafficking racket.
India’s stated policy has been very clear since Narendra Modi government came to power. The ministry of home affairs, in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, had called the Rohingya settlers a ‘national security threat’. It said all diplomatic measures were in full swing to deport them. A bunch of Rohingyas forced to go back home on Thursday is a result of sustained efforts by the Modi government in that direction.
A government official told MyNation, requesting anonymity, “In didn’t happen overnight. We gave consular access to Myanmar diplomats. There were certain documents we seized from them that validated our claim that was presented before the Myanmar authorities. Only after they were satisfied, Myanmar was ready to take them back. It's just the beginning. But do realise, it is happening for the first time. Next time a Rohingya who wants to cross over to India by paying a hefty sum to International human trafficking rackets will have the fear of deportation in mind.”
Though activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan wanted to stall this landmark move by filing a plea in the Supreme Court, the bench headed by the new CJI Ranjan Gogoi refused to entertain it, saying, “We are not inclined to interfere in the decision taken.”
At around 1:45 PM, the handing over note was signed by three representatives each of India and Myanmar, a group photo clicked as evidence, and the paperwork for deportation was over. Though there are many who India sees as ‘national security threat’, who need to be deported, this is a first. South Block is celebrating.
Last Updated Oct 4, 2018, 4:57 PM IST