The government of India in Jammu and Kashmir has embarked on inhumane practices by detaining 170 Rohingya in the hope to send them back to Myanmar if they failed the verification procedure.
Nearly a million Rohingya fled Myanmar since 2017 after the ethnic cleansing process began, most of them fled to Bangladesh where they live in such dire conditions. Some Rohingya minority fled to India and other neighbouring countries where they face discrimination and appalling treatment such as in India Jammu Kashmir.
It is estimated that some 400,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to India and scattered around different states and many of them took refuge in the region of Jammu Kashmir. Many Rohingya complained about the rising Hindu anti Rohingya Muslims sentiment driven by the by the current prime minister of India’s Governing party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Indian authorities in Jammu and Kashmir has previously declared that it would send back any Rohingya whom it regards illegal immigrants. According to the authorities and its Foreigners Act section 3(2) e, many Rohingya detainees are illegal immigrants despite the fact that many of them hold identity documents issued by the United High Commissioner for refugees ( UNHCR).
It is true that India is not a signatory member of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention nor to its 1967 Protocol. However, the principle of non-refoulement is a well-established in the legal process and is now regarded as customary International law, therefore it is binding on all states.
The Indian government should stop the deportation process of the Rohingya to Myanmar where the they are facing Genocide at the hands of the oppressive military junta led by general Min Aung Hlaing.
AFD international is concerned about the safety and the treatment of the Rohingya in India and is calling upon the Indian authorities to abstain from sending any Rohingya back to Myanmar.
AFD International
Asia and the Pacific Department
15 March, 2021