Politics

Jammu & Kashmir government collecting personal details of illegal immigrants from Myanmar

Centre to expedite their deportation to Myanmar

November 21, 2018

It is for the first time a proper census is going on to calculate the exact number of Rohingyas population camping in J&K.

The special drive was launched by the state police after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh directed the state govt

Ahead of deporting illegal immigrants from Myanmar, currently settled across 39 different locations in Jammu region, to their home country, the state police have launched a special drive to prepare their comprehensive database in a proper format.

Till date, no effort was made by the state government to actually prepare their complete database.

Several socio-politico organisations in the state have been spearheading a campaign against these illegal immigrants claiming they are posing a great threat to the security of Jammu region and vital army installations.

As per old records submitted on the floor of the state assembly at the beginning of this year an estimated number of over 6500 Rohingyas were settled across 39 locations spread across five districts of Jammu region

Rohingyas have produced average 4-8 children?

Now as the drive is currently going on in Jammu the state police personnel are also waking up to another harsh reality about the average number of children produced by these immigrants during their temporary stay in Jammu.

An average clearly suggested each couple is having minimum 4 children and maximum up to 8 and even more in some cases.

Majority of these children were born in and around Jammu and don’t even possess refugee cards issued by the office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

It is for the first time a proper census is going on to calculate the exact number of Rohingya population camping in the state.

A senior police officer currently supervising the ongoing exercise revealed, “every couple come to me and start counting the names of their children. He said on an average every couple here has produced 4-8 children in the last one decade.

As per old records submitted on the floor of the state assembly at the beginning of this year an estimated number of over 6500 Rohingyas were settled across 39 locations spread across five districts of Jammu region.

Out of these majority of these illegal immigrants are located close to several vital army installations in and around Jammu.

When in February 2018 a group of fidayeen(members of a suicide squad) had stormed Sunjwan based army camp they had possibly taken shelter inside nearby Rohingya settlement on the periphery of the army camp.

Special drive ordered by the Centre to expedite their deportation

The special drive was launched by the state police after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh directed the state govt to collect biometrics of Rohingyas settled in the state to ensure their early deportation.

Rajnath Singh had earlier made it clear that the Government of India is committed to deporting illegal immigrants to their home countries in consultation with their governments.

Mohd Rafiq, a cleric teaching Islam in a local madrassa said, “we are apprehensive about the real motive behind the special drive”

Policemen facing resistance from illegal immigrants?

Interestingly, as the state police personnel are visiting different locations to enrol them a section of illegal immigrants are creating roadblocks for them.

They are desperately trying to prevent these officers from preparing their comprehensive database. For the last couple of days, the policemen have been trying their level best to counsel them and prepare their database but they are giving them a very cold response.

Mohd Rafiq, a cleric teaching Islam in a local madrassa said, “we are apprehensive about the real motive behind the special drive”. He said, ” we have apprehensions after completing the special drive we will be picked up along with these papers and sent home. we were thrown out of Myanmar and later Bangladesh in a similar drive”.

He said, “I am fearing similar drive is likely to be conducted here in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and it is for this reason we are resisting their efforts”.

Mohd Rafiq, said for past several months we are facing troubled times. A section of right-wing volunteers assemble outside our camp and raise communal slogans and threaten us to run away to save their lives.

He said, “we are not going to stay here in Jammu permanently. We came here to save our lives and we are ready to return home soon after normalcy is restored in our country and we are promised our basic rights and citizenship”.

Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.