India’s got too much on its plate
As things stand, New Delhi is not really in a position to offer the Rohingyas security
As soon as I took my seat on the flight from Delhi to Varanasi and peered at my mobile phone, a tweet by my journalist friend Nicholas Dawes aka Nic flashed on the screen. Nic had tweeted about a report by Human Rights Watch which elaborated upon the oppression of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Before I could start reading the report, the air hostess began with the statutory safety announcement that ended with: “Oxygen masks will fall from the aircraft’s ceiling if the air pressure in the cabin becomes low. Please wear your own mask before you try and help the person sitting next to you.” This brought a smile to my face. The relationship between Rohingya refugees and Indian citizens is somewhat similar. The issue has already split the country on ideological lines.
A new report by Human Rights Watch tells us that security forces in Rakhine State’s Maungdaw and Rathedaung have unleashed such a reign of oppression that another 4,00,000 Rohingyas were forced to seek shelter in Bangladesh. After the clouds cleared over Myanmar’s skies, satellite imagery revealed that in the last few days more than 90% of the houses in 214 villages have been burnt down. This is the situation when Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi is the State Counsellor of Myanmar. Suu Kyi finally broke her long silence on the subject on Tuesday. Addressing the nation for the first time about the issue, she said she had no objection to people returning to Myanmar provided they underwent a probe. The purported ‘probe’ was shocking for many. Suu Kyi also said she wasn’t perturbed with international pressure on the subject since it is Myanmar that is fighting terrorism at home. Members of the Rohingya community had also carried out attacks on innocents and the police. Despite this, if someone complains of torture by the security forces, she was ready for an investigation. The instability reigning for 70 years needs to end, added Suu Kyi. To achieve this, the government had formed a peace committee and invited former UN secretary general Kofi Annan to lead the initiative.
Is this just a mere coincidence that after 70 years, even India is bearing the brunt of social unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, anti-terrorism operations and large-scale migration?
This is why not everybody in India wants that a large number of people from the Rohingya community set up base in the country. At present there are 40,000 Rohingya refugees in India. Of these 10,000 are camping in violence-hit Jammu and Kashmir. Intelli- gence agencies and locals perceive them as potential security risks. The Centre has given an affidavit in the Supreme Court advocating to send them back and sealed the international borders with Myanmar. Some individuals are strongly criticising this. They are reminding us about Indian civilization and that refugees have been coming to the country since the BC period and playing a constructive role in the evolution of our society. They say we should empathise with the troubles that the Rohingya community is facing.
At the sentimental level, these subjects are good to discuss. But the subject is not so straightforward or simple. If you don’t believe me, recollect the explosions that took place on July 7, 2013 at Gaya’s Mahabodhi temple complex. The temple venerated by Buddhists all over the world was rocked by nine explosions. A conspiracy was hatched not just to blow up the temple but even the Bodhi tree that had been preserved over centuries in memory of Buddha, the messenger of peace.
The terrorists arrested in this connection told the police that a conspiracy had been hatched to avenge the atrocities on the Rohingya community in Myanmar. Since then a question is being raised: Why can’t the people in whose solidarity the conspiracy was hatched, embark on the terror trail themselves? It is true that every Rohingya cannot be viewed as a terrorist but organisations such as the IS and Al-qaida can succeed in indoctrinating them . The history of terrorism is replete with examples of those seeking revenge for atrocities.
It comes as no surprise then that questions are being raised. When your own house is on fire, how can you hope to put salve on the wounds of others singed by fire? In case you want, you can also recollect the air hostess’s statutory warning here. The summation of her advice is that in times of trouble, before you can help others, you have to secure yourself. Are we feeling as secure as to promise shelter and safety to others?