Update: Hours after this analysis was published, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a statement, disowning the assertions made in the tweets by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. The MHA said that Rohingyas were illegal immigrants to be deported back. No EWS flats were being given to them. The full statement can be read here.
On August 16, the Government of India decided to shift 1,100 registered Rohingya ‘refugees’ to EWS flats in the Bakkarwala area of Delhi. In a tweet, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said, “India has always welcomed those who have sought refuge in the country. In a landmark decision, all Rohingya Refugees will be shifted to EWS flats in the Bakkarwala area of Delhi. They will be provided basic amenities, UNHCR IDs, and round-the-clock Delhi Police protection.”
India has always welcomed those who have sought refuge in the country. In a landmark decision all #Rohingya #Refugees will be shifted to EWS flats in Bakkarwala area of Delhi. They will be provided basic amenities, UNHCR IDs & round-the-clock @DelhiPolice protection. @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/E5ShkHOxqE
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 17, 2022
As per reports, the Rohingyas that are being shifted to these flats hold the unique ID of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and their details are with the Indian government. It is noteworthy that though the Indian government has decided to provide them accommodation and facilities, India is not obligated to provide them with any facilities as it is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee convention of the United Nations.
While replying to a query in Lok Sabha [PDF] about political asylum for coup-hit Myanmar villagers, Minister of State in Ministry of Home Affairs Nityanand Rai had said, “India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol thereon. All foreign nationals (including asylum seekers) are governed by the provisions contained in the Foreigners Act, 1946, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, and the Citizenship Act, 1955, and rules and orders made thereunder.”
MHA added, “However, a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) was issued in 2011 by the Central Government and amended in 2019, which has to be followed by law enforcement agencies while dealing with foreign nationals who claim to be refugees.”
Notably, in a follow-up tweet, Union Minister Puri said, “Those who made a career out of spreading canards on India’s refugee policy deliberately linking it to #CAA will be disappointed. India respects and follows United Nations Refugee Convention 1951 and provides refuge to all, regardless of their race, religion or creed.”
Those who made a career out of spreading canards on India’s refugee policy deliberately linking it to #CAA will be disappointed.
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 17, 2022
India respects & follows @UN Refugee Convention 1951 & provides refuge to all, regardless of their race, religion or creed.@MIB_India @NBirenSingh pic.twitter.com/6jyMl9dJ7Q
The decision was taken following a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary of Delhi in the last week of July. It was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Delhi Police, and the Delhi Government.
During the meeting, the Delhi Government mentioned that it was paying Rs 7 lakh rent per month for the tents where Rohingyas were living in the Madanpur Khadar area. Notably, they were shifted to Madanpur Khadar after a fire had broke in the camp where they were previously lodged.
News Agency ANI quoted a senior official who said, “These refugees will soon be shifted to New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) flats in Bakkarwala village of Outer Delhi. There is a total of 250 flats belonging to the Economic Weaker Section (EWS) category where all 1,100 Rohingyas, currently residing in the Madanpur Khadar camp, will be accommodated.”
During the meeting, Delhi Police were instructed to provide round-the-clock security to the area where these flats are located. The Social Welfare Department of the Delhi Government has been instructed to ensure basic facilities, including three times meals, a landline phone, a fan, a television, and recreational facilities on the campus.
The Delhi government has been instructed to provide basic amenities in the flats and hand them over to Foreign Regional Registration Offices (FRRO), which will shift the Rohingyas into these flats.
Rohingyas and threat to national security
It is notable that on several occasions, the government of India has mentioned illegal Rohingya immigrants as a threat to national security. In 2019, Home Minister Amit Shah categorically said that India would never accept Rohingyas in the country. In 2020, HM Shah mentioned that when his ministry takes action against the illegal Rohingya immigrants in the country, leaders like Owaisi create hues and cry in the house.
In recent years, there have been several incidents where Rohingyas were arrested by the security agencies for being indulged in criminal activities. In June this year, National Investigating Agency filed a charge sheet in the case of human trafficking of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi Muslims into India.
The mastermind of the racket was Kumkum Ahmad Chowdhury alias KK Ahmed Chowdhury alias, Asikul Ahmed. He was operating this gang from Bengaluru. The members of this racket were spread in different parts of the country. Besides Kumkum, Sahalam Lashkar, Ahiya Ahmad Chowdhury, Bapan Ahmed Chowdhury, Jamaluddin Ahmed Chowdhury (all residents of Assam’s Cachar district), and Wanbiang Suting (from East Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya) were also arrested. The NIA said that a large number of incriminating documents, articles and digital devices were seized during the searches.
In 2021, UP Police revealed that the Rohingyas had begun to settle in various parts of Uttar Pradesh with forged ration cards, PAN cards, and voter ID cards. As per the Aaj Tak report, the illegal migrants are being used as vote banks for which they are receiving financial aid too. The information was provided by ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar to the media following the arrest of two Rohingyas named Noor Alam and Amir Husain living in Ghaziabad with forged papers.
