Rohingyas Are Illegal Immigrants, Nothing Wrong in Deporting Them, Says Rajnath Singh

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India won't be violating any law by deporting Rohingyas back to Myanmar.

New Delhi, Sept 21: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday came out strongly against Rohingyas, calling them illegal immigrants. He said that it was wrong to call Rohingya Muslims ‘refugees’ as they were ‘illegal immigrants’ who haven’t followed the procedure to be given the refugee status. Singh also said that Indian wouldn’t be violating any law by deporting Rohingyas as it isn’t a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.

“Calling illegal immigrants refugees citing human rights is a mistake that shouldn’t be made. We must understand that the Rohingyas who have entered India from Myanmar are not refugees. A procedure has to be followed to attain refugee status, which the Rohingyas haven’t followed,” Rajnath Singh said today.

“Principle of non-refoulement applies on those who have taken asylum in India. No Rohingya has applied for asylum in India till today,” the Home Minister added.

Singh’s comments came days after the United Nations Human Rights Commission slammed India on its decision to deport Rohingyas. The UNHRC had said, “I deplore current measures in India to deport Rohingyas at a time of such violence against them in their country. Some 40,000 Rohingyas have settled in India, and 16,000 of them have received refugee documentation. The Minister of State for Home Affairs has reportedly said that because India is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention the country can dispense with international law on the matter, together with basic human compassion.”

Centre had on Monday also filed in affidavit in the Supreme Court on its stand against the Rohingyas. Centre had in the affidavit called Rohingyas a threat to national security and added that they may have links with terror groups in Pakistan.

“Continuance of Rohingyas’ illegal immigration into India and continued stay has serious national security ramifications and threats. Centre has contemporaneous from security agencies inputs indicating links of some unauthorized Rohingyas with Pakistan terror organisations. Some Rohingyas are indulging in illegal/anti-national activities i.e. mobilisation of funds through hundi/hawala channels, procuring fake Indian identities for other Rohingyas and also indulging in human trafficking,” the affidavit said.