The UN is probing India’s deportation of Rohingya refugees after claims they were misled into leaving under a “relocation program,” raising serious concerns about human rights violations and forced repatriation to Myanmar.
The United Nations has asked for an investigation after receiving “credible reports” that Indian authorities forced Rohingya refugees onto boats in the Andaman Sea with almost no food or water.
These refugees had earlier escaped from Myanmar but were now allegedly being sent back by India under very difficult conditions.
This shocking event is part of a larger and stricter crackdown by the Indian government, especially under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government has again started using tough methods like detention and deportation of vulnerable people mostly Muslims which it had earlier criticised.
Earlier this month, several Rohingya refugees were suddenly taken to “reintegration” naval vessels. The Indian Navy then reportedly transported them back to Myanmar. On April 30, the Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that India had started a special “program for voluntary return of illegal foreigners”.
Human rights groups have raised serious concerns because Myanmar usually refuses to take back Rohingya refugees. The country has not accepted any responsibility for the 2017 violence when the military carried out mass killings and gang rapes against the Rohingya community.
So far, the Indian government has not responded to media questions on this issue.
Meanwhile, after tensions increased between India and Pakistan especially after India accused Pakistan of helping terrorists who attacked an Indian base India took strong actions such as expelling Pakistani citizens.
At the same time, several right-wing officials made strong statements against Muslims, trying to link both Rohingya and Bangladeshi populations with threats to Indian society. The Indian government has been especially strict in states like Assam and Jammu, where they are cracking down on what they call illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Most of the people detained were labourers, daily wage workers, and undocumented residents. But many were actually refugees fleeing from persecution, and they were protected under U.N. refugee laws. Even then, they were sent back.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said “it was disturbing that India had deported at least 21 Rohingya women and children last week.”
One government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said,
“In some cases, the Rohingya were not deported, they were pushed into boats, It’s a horrifying and inoperable act of expulsion.”
Many human rights groups and Bangladeshi border officials also confirmed that hundreds of Rohingya were pushed into the sea without any proper support. Most of them were not given any food or water. Some were only given life jackets and asked to swim to Bangladesh. But local fishermen said they could not find them, and Bangladesh refused to allow them entry.
Khalidur Rahman, a top adviser on refugee and security issues to the Bangladeshi government, told reporters,
“This situation is too abnormal and beyond control.”
The United Nations said if the reports are true, India may have broken international laws.
The U.N. rights body said,
“If the allegations are true, the conduct of India will likely be in breach of its obligations under international law.”
The U.N. has now sent many officials to the Indian Ocean region to carry out a full investigation.
Siddiqui Hasan, a Rohingya refugee living in New Delhi, said his friends told him from detention that they were put on boats over several days, with around 250 people in total.
He said,
“We were asked to be silent. We were told it was part of a relocation program.”
These refugees reportedly floated in the sea for three days without food or clean water. They called their friends and family in India and Myanmar for help. Some have not been heard from again.
“Many, we hear may have drowned. Our efforts to trace them were in vain.”
Another refugee in New Delhi, David Nair, said he had not heard anything about his wife after she was taken away two weeks ago.
“We hoped and prayed she would return,”
Mr. Nair said. “But some of her friends have not.”
He said,
“There was a rumor she was taken on a boat, I’m scared to think that the Indian government may have handed her to the Myanmar army. I will never forgive them.”
Mr. Nair added that his wife had escaped to India in 2017 after his uncle and father were killed.
Mr. Nair said,
“The refugees face indifference. There’s no one to talk to. No one listens.”
Now, some Rohingya refugees and their supporters have gone to Indian courts to seek justice. Others have also filed complaints with the United Nations.
Geeta Kumaran, a lawyer who represents many Rohingya refugees in Tamil Nadu, said,
“There has to be a human rights reckoning.”
The Indian government is also facing strong criticism on social media for breaking international refugee laws. On the other hand, the United States has taken in some of the Rohingya pushed into the sea. France and Australia have also started their own investigations into the matter.
One lawyer said,
“If India continues on this path, we are looking at a future of complete legal chaos.”
Earlier, the Supreme Court of India had looked into the matter of deporting Rohingya refugees. In April 2021, the top court allowed the deportation of Rohingya refugees from Jammu, stating that India was not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention.
However, many legal experts and human rights groups had raised concerns, saying that even if India is not a signatory, it is still bound by the principle of non-refoulement under international customary law, which says that refugees should not be sent back to a place where they face serious danger.
Despite many petitions, the court had not granted full protection to Rohingya refugees. The government had also said in court that Rohingya are “illegal immigrants” and pose a security threat. Refugee groups and the UNHCR have continued to argue that deporting them is against basic human rights and international law.
Now, with the latest UN investigation and testimonies of refugees who were forced into boats, the legal and moral questions surrounding India’s treatment of the Rohingya are becoming even more serious.