Would the Rohingya Muslims be really deported back or there’s a hidden political agenda

SUNIL NEGI

The complex issue of deportation of Rohingya muslim refugees is a hot topic these days with greater emphasis being laid on the deportation of these 40 thousand refuge seekers having entered India in different parts of the country since 2012 after the Budhist Rohingya crisis actually started though on a feeble note then but became extremely hot and bloodiest after the Rohinga Arakan Salvation Army extremists attacked and damaged several police posts at the Indo Mayamar border and killed 20 Myanmar guards on August 25th.

The retaliation afterwards reached such an uncontrolled height that hundreds of thousands of Rohingya muslims settled in Rakhine province have to seek refuge in Bangladesh along with food and water starved children, old aged,  sick youth and women in absolute pitiable conditions. About seven lakh Rohingya muslims fled from Rakhine province of Myanmar to Bangladesh in view of the unmitigated tortures and killings with a lakh or so still stuck in the border town of Tefnaq. Several refugees died in the seawaters while cladestinely going towards Bangladesh on boats that overturned. The cox bazaar of Bangladesh has largest of settlements in tents housing lakhs of aweful refugees in tatters, dying of desease and hunger and various philanthropic organisation including the UNHCR taking care of them.

In India as compared to 4 lac 20 thousand Rohingya refugees having taken shelter in Bangladesh, the number of 40 thousand is quite a low figure, but the media and political hype is excessive. Just imagine, what difference does a mere refugee influx of 40 thousand in a country with a population of 150 crores makes to its demography, particularly when 10 lakh Bangladeshi migrants are already residing in various parts of the country for the last several decades and not a single refugee has been deported till date despite so much of hue and cry by several political parties, particularly the BJP, time and again.

The Indian government which is not bound by any refugee UN convention, not being a signatory is bound to deport the Rohingya refugees under the pretext that they are the greatest risk to India’s safety, security, sovereignity and integrity, having confirmed dubious international connections with the terrorists organisations viz ISI, Lashkare Tayyeba, Jaish – e – Mohammed and even the Haqquani network whereas as per the various media reports based on authentic police informations except an incident of killing of two monks in Varanasi, that too was later on connected with the SIMI militants in 2013, not a single case was found to be that of a Rohingya militant or terrorist.

In an affidavit filed on behalf of the government in the apex court on 18th September the government requested the honourable court not meddle in this matter as it involves the nation’s safety, security and integrity for which according to the confirmed intelligence reports the Rohingya muslims are the greatest threat. And as such their deportation back to their country is legally mandatory. It’s a hard fact that though the Indian government is not legally bound by any UN commitment for keeping the refugees in their country but is also the signatory to international convention against torture and as such is liable to allow the stay of foreign refugees in its territory as sending them back to Myanmar may pose direct threat to their lives and physical existence. The moot point here is if the current political dispensation is so serious to deport the 40000 distressed refugees back to Myanmar where their lives and existence are in absolute danger why is it that about more than ten lakh Bangladeshi refugees who’d come to INDIA decades ago have not been deported back to Bangladesh by the BJP despite their 8 year rule till now viz 5 year rule during the AB VAJPAYEE government and more than three year rule of the present political and administrative dispensation. Why this political hypocrisy now? The answer is unambiguous that the election of 2019 are near and polarisation politics is in the making? What do you say friends?