After union Housing & Urban Affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri created a storm by claiming that the government has decided to settle Rohingyas living in camps in Delhi EWS flats, the matter refuses to die down. While the MHA had denied taking such a decision, a letter written by the Delhi govt the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) had appeared which suggested that an office under the union home ministry had proposed such a move. But now the home ministry has denied this too, saying that it never asked for shifting Illegal Rohingyas from their current location at Kanchan Kunj, Madanpur Khadar to EWS flats at Bakkarwala in New Delhi.
The Home Ministry today clarified that while Foreigners Registration Regional Office under it had earlier proposed that the illegal migrants be shifted to some other place, they never proposed the EWS flats, and this location was proposed by the Delhi government only.
On Wednesday, both BJP and AAP had targeted each other using the letter written by the Deputy Secretary of the Delhi government’s home department saying that the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), which comes under the union home ministry, had proposed to shift the Rohingyas to a detention centre to be set up at the flats built for people from Economically Weaker Section, as they had run out of space at the current location. As the flats are under NDMC, the Delhi govt had written to the NDMC to hand over the flats to FRRO.
The letter and other media reports on meetings on the issue had created the impression that the home ministry wanted to shift the Rohingyas to a bigger detention centre because of logistical reasons, but minister Hardeep Singh Puri had presented it as a humanitarian move for the illegal foreigners which created outrage and forced MHA to scrap the move.
But now, the home ministry had denied that FRRO wrote to Delhi asking for allotment of the EWS flats to be used as a detention centre for Rohingyas. On Thursday, the Ministry of Home Affairs rebutted the claims made by Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia on the shifting of illegal Rohingyas migrants to economically weaker sections (EWS) flats in West Delhi. In the letter, MoS Ajay Kumar Mishra said that the decision to shift the Rohingya illegal migrants was that of the Delhi government.
Mishra to Sisodia: Meanwhile Delhi chief secy, at a meeting chaired by him on July 29, decided that only Rohingya immigrants will be shifted
— Bharti Jain (@bhartijainTOI) August 18, 2022
Ajay Kumar Mishra wrote a letter to Manish Sisodia rejecting the claims made by AAP that MHA had proposed to shift the Rohingyas, and said that it was the Delhi govt which made the proposal. Mishra cited the meeting that was conducted by the Delhi Chief Secretary on July 29 during which Foreigners Registration Regional Office (FRRO) was informed that the Rohingya illegal migrants would be sifted to the EWS flats in Delhi. “In the July 29 meeting, an officer rank of a director who represented the MHA and the head of the FRRO, Delhi had clearly stated that India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention on refugees or related protocol of 1967, therefore treats all foreigners who enter the country without valid passports as illegal immigrants”, Mishra wrote.
“Neither MHA official nor FRRO had proposed that the illegal Rohingya immigrants be shifted to EWS flats built by NDMC in Bakarwala. Neither had they proposed this earlier”, he added in the letter.
Mishra to Delhi deputy CM: Neither MHA official not FRRO proposed that the illegal Rohingya immigrants be shifted to EWS flats built by NDMC in Bakarwala. Neither have they proposed this earlier
— Bharti Jain (@bhartijainTOI) August 18, 2022
He also clarified that the UNHCR cards issued to illegal migrants don’t grant any legal status under Indian laws. “MHA and FRRO said all foreign nationals, including Rohingyas, who enter into India without valid travel documents are treated as illegal migrants & dealt as per the law. UNHCR cards or refugee cards are not recognized by Indian law”, he said.
Mishra meanwhile also asked the Delhi Dy CM to take immediate action against the illegal migrants and said that the Centre would extend full support in that direction. He reiterated that the decision to shift the Rohingya illegal migrants was taken by the Delhi government and that the information was out only on August 17. “It was learned through media reports on Aug 17 that Delhi Govt has decided to shift the Rohingya immigrants from Kanchan Kunj, Madanpur Khadar, to Bakarwala”, Mishra stated in the letter adding that the MHA then wrote immediately to the Delhi government asking it not to do so.
Mishra to Sisodia: These facts make it clear that the decision to shift Rohingya immigrants from Kanchan Kunj to Bakarwala was that of Delhi Govt only
— Bharti Jain (@bhartijainTOI) August 18, 2022
According to the MHA, the Foreigners Registration Regional Office had earlier proposed that the illegal migrants be shifted from Rampur Sadan to some other place. It is the Delhi Govt’s home department and social welfare department who proposed that EWS flats in Bakarwala would be made the detention centre.
To note, the Ministry of Home Affairs has repeatedly been asking Delhi and other state governments to initiate deportation proceedings against illegal migrants including the Rohingyas. The MHA on August 18 reiterated its request to take strict action against the Rohingyas under the Foreigners Act, 1946.
Earlier the day, Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia alleged that it was the Centre’s conspiracy to rehabilitate Rohingya illegal migrants in Delhi. Demanding a thorough investigation of the case, he said, “The center’s conspiracy regarding rehabilitation of Rohingya in Delhi was exposed yesterday. Neither I nor Delhi CM had any clue about a plan to move Rohingyas to flats earmarked for the economically weaker section in Bakkarwala”.
“We got to know through newspaper reports that a scheme to provide flats to Rohingya was on. I checked with the officers and got to know from them that some meetings had taken place in the presence of central government officers,” Sisodia was quoted.
This is after Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on August 16 tweeted that all the 1100 Rohingya illegal foreigners would be provided with accommodation (EWS flats) and round-the-clock 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 the Bakkarwala area of Delhi. They will be provided basic amenities, UNHCR IDs, and round-the-clock Delhi Police protection”, tweeted Puri.
The Ministry of Home Affairs then immediately clarified saying that the Rohingya illegal foreigners will not be given EWS flats in Delhi. “Govt of Delhi proposed to shift the Rohingyas to a new location. Illegal foreigners are to be kept in Detention Centre till their deportation as per law”, the HMO had said. The Ministry had also made it clear that Rohingyas are ‘illegal foreigners’ illegally staying in India, and that they will be deported, not be given refugee status.
