'Rohingya pose threat': Alleged Indian affidavit

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI

A controversial leaked document on the persecuted Rohingya Muslims living in India was “wrongly circulated” and is not due to be filed until next Monday, said a top government official on Thursday.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju told the media that no affidavit has been filed in the Supreme Court on the issue.

In an alleged copy of the affidavit from the Indian Home Ministry leaked on Thursday, the Rohingya Muslims are called a “serious threat to national security” who must be deported in the interest of the nation.

It warns the refugees from persecution in Myanmar could be used by terror groups to sow trouble, citing intelligence reports saying that Rohingya are involved in militancy in parts of Delhi, Jammu, Hyderabad, and Mewat.

“Providing facilities and privileges to illegal immigrants would have adverse impact upon Indian citizens as it would deprive them of their legitimate share of the employment sector, subsidized housing, medical and educational facilities and would therefore culminate into hostility towards immigrants, social tension and law and order problems,” the leaked affidavit states.

The government has to file an affidavit with the Supreme Court in response to Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by two Rohingya refugees living in India. The case will come up for a hearing next Monday.

In their petition, Mohammad Shaqir and Mohammad Salimullah argued their deportation would violate India’s Constitution as well as the principle of “non-refoulement,” which prohibits the deportation of refugees.

Rohingya Muslims are neither accepted by Myanmar nor its neighbor Bangladesh and live in in constant fear following the Indian government’s plan to deport 40,000 Rohingya refugees.

In India, they are mostly settled in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Haryana.

Rijiju last month told parliament that the central government had asked the states to identify Rohingya Muslims living illegally and initiate deportation processes.

Since Aug. 25, more than 370,000 Rohingya have crossed from Myanmar's western state of Rakhine into Bangladesh, according to the UN.

The refugees are fleeing a fresh security operation in which security forces and Buddhist mobs have killed men, women and children, looted homes and torched Rohingya villages. According to Bangladesh, around 3,000 Rohingya have been killed in the crackdown.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.