Rohingyas in city wary of giving details, fear deportation

◗ The UNHCR said it has contacted Indian authorities for more details on the Rohingya refugees being asked to fill nationality verification forms

Rohingya refugees in Delhi, who have been asked to fill nationality verification forms by the home ministry, say they fear getting deported back to Myanmar if they give their details to the government.

Several of them living here for years said they have refugee cards certified by the UNHCR, the United Nations’ refugee agency, and are wary about taking their children, who were born in India, back to violence- hit Myanmar.

The UNHCR ( United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), the global organisation mandated to protect the rights of refugees, said it has contacted Indian authorities for more details on the Rohingya refugees being asked to fill nationality verification forms.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh on October 1 said the state governments have been asked to identify Rohingya refugees in their regions and collect their biometric details.

The Centre will send the biometric reports collected by states to the Myanmar government through diplomatic channel for resolution of the issue. The Delhi police has distributed the nationality verification forms to Rohingya living in various refugee camps across Delhi in the last two days.

However, the Rohingyas here are apprehensive of filling these forms as they fear they would be deported back to Myanmar if they give their details.

“We will not go back. The police is forcing us to fill the form but we have refugee cards certified by the UNHCR,” said a Rohingya refugee from the Shaheen Bagh camp of Delhi on the condition of anonymity.

The police, however, denies using any form of intimidation to make the Rohingyas fill the form.

A senior police officer said, the exercise is being carried out on the directives of the home affairs ministry. The Delhi police special branch is the coordinating authority.

He also said that close to 1000 forms have already been filled by the Rohingya refugees across the city.

Another refugee who escaped from Myanmar in 2012 said they do not want to suffer the same fate as that of the seven Rohingyas who were deported back to Myanmar last week.

The seven refugees were sent back to conflict- hit Myanmar after the government said they should be treated as illegal immigrants.

“My children were born here, they will not be able to survive the violence of Myanmar. We have seen our homes getting burnt with our children inside. I beg government to not send us back,” another teary- eyed Rohingya refugee said.