Holding Centres may be set up before deportation
Aadhaar, voter cards, other documents to be de-activated
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 20: In a significant decision which could lead to deportation of illegal Rohingyas and Bangladeshis putting up in Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had written to all States/Union Territories to carry out verification of documents of all illegal immigrants putting up within their jurisdictions within a month.
“Pending deportation, the immigrants identified as putting up illegally in the States and Union Territories are expected to be lodged at district-level detention centres to be set up by the States/UTs,” official sources told the Excelsior.
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A Holding Centre was set up in Hiranagar Jail in Kathua district in 2021 where nearly 200 Rohingyas were lodged. However, none of them has been deported so far.
Confirming the development, officials said they have started fresh verification of documents of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis settled illegally in Jammu and Kashmir as per the MHA guidelines. There are around 10,000 Rohingyas putting up in different areas including Sunjuwan, Bhatindi, Trikuta Nagar, Narwal, Bhagwati Nagar, Janipura, Industrial Areas and parts of some other districts.
Many men and women have married locals and mixed up with the population.
Fresh instructions by the MHA to States and UTs to identify illegal immigrants came close on the heels of deportation of Pakistani nationals staying illegally in different parts of the country including Jammu and Kashmir. A number of Pakistanis were deported from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir through Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar district of Punjab after April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Asserting that a major drive against Rohingyas was launched in Jammu in November-December last year, sources said a number of FIRs were registered against the people who had rented out their houses or plots to the illegal immigrants for stay. However, since majority of Rohingyas are confined to Jammu district, the documents of most of them have been verified and it has been established that they entered illegally to India from different States from Myanmar.
Majority of the Myanmarese are United Nations card holders, the sources said. However, during the previous drive, no illegal Bangladeshis were detected but there are reports that at least 1000 Bangladeshis could be putting up in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir. However, it may not be possible to identify them. They can be arrested only through random checking drives and cases are registered against them for the border crossings.
“The Myanmarese can be lodged in Holding Centres before being deported through the official channels,” the sources said.
A proposal is also afoot to de-activate Aadhaar, voter cards and other such documents found in possession of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals to deprive them of the facilities they are availing with the help of these documents.
A census of the Rohingyas was conducted by police and Intelligence agencies and as per the latest figures there were around 10,000 Myanmarese in total including around 7000 in Jammu district alone.
However, unconfirmed reports put the number of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals settled in Jammu at 13,700. Their population is reported to have increased between 2008 and 2014.
Their numbers have gone up over past few years not only because of fresh infiltration but also due to marriages with locals and newly born babies.
Asserting that the Rohingyas are being patronized by some of the groups as well as individuals, the officials said, police and Intelligence agencies have been directed to target those supporting and facilitating settlements of Rohingyas
While major population of Rohingyas is mainly confined to outskirts of the Jammu City and Samba district, few families have also managed to reach Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Rajouri and Poonch districts because of the support arranged by some organizations and individuals, some of whom have been identified and action is being initiated against them.
Rohingyas had earlier managed to establish themselves in the system, opening bank accounts, acquiring electricity and water connections, and obtaining essential documents such as Aadhaar cards and ration cards.
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