New Delhi, August 7, 2023: In a significant development, the Haryana Police have apprehended several Rohingya refugees in connection with the recent communal violence in Nuh district.
Narender Bijarniya, Nuh Superintendent of Police, revealed that some of the refugees were not only found to have illegally occupied Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran’s land in Tauru but were also identified as participants in the mob violence that erupted on July 31.
The shocking turn of events has left the refugee community in distress. Sabber Kyaw Min, the founder and director of Rohingya Human Rights Initiative, an NGO working for the betterment of the community, expressed concern over the situation. Min stated that most refugees in these camps work as rickshaw pullers, ragpickers, and vegetable sellers, merely striving to make ends meet.
“The FRRO officers had informed at the refugee camp that they had a list of at least 17 refugees and had picked some of them who were identified by them for their involvement in the violence,” Min reported.
In response to the violence, shanties in Rohingya camps situated in Nuh’s Tauru area were abruptly bulldozed. Over 50 illegal properties occupied by the Rohingyas were identified across Nuh, leading to the demolition drive carried out by relevant agencies. The police provided manpower and security for the operation.
The Rohingya people, predominantly Muslim refugees from Myanmar, fled their homeland in 2017 following targeted violence against their community by the government. Presently, there are about 16,000 UNHCR-certified Rohingya refugees in India, with a government estimate suggesting the figure exceeds 40,000, concentrated mostly in and around Jammu.
The recent developments have left the community feeling unsafe and harassed, as they are being treated with suspicion and subjected to raids. While the NGO is willing to cooperate with the authorities if any refugee is involved in illegal activities, the manner in which the raids were conducted has been criticized as discriminatory.
The situation at the refugee camps remains grim, and the community’s plea for understanding and compassion echoes loudly.
