The Rohingyas in India
As Myanmar witnesses a mass exodus of Rohingyas, Avantika Bhuyanlooks at the life of the refugee community in India
had even found out about the universities and courses,” says Basavapatna. Though uneducated themselves, members of the Rohingya community in Madanpur Khadar dream of a good education for their children. “Children under-12 study at private school and their fee is paid for by the Zakat Foundation. Let’s see what lies in their future,” says Haroon.
There are several things that run like a thread through the lives of the Rohingyas in India; one of these is a strong sense of community living. You will always find them living in a cluster together, whether it is in Mewat, Jaipur, Jammu or Delhi. “Their sense of community is very strong. They find security in living together,” says Basavapatna.
One can also see a deep-set sense of conservatism within the community: for instance, women are not supposed to work, rather spend their time taking care of the household. “In Jammu, some do help in the walnut processing, which is essentially sifting through piles and breaking the walnut shell. But this is seasonal work,” says another refugee rights activist.
Mohammad Farookh, 28, who works as a welder on construction sites in Noida says “fear” is what is uppermost on his mind. “I have seen mothers and fathers being killed in front of their children in the Rakhine state. And one has been hearing news of innocent kids being killed now,” he says. “I want to make people understand that the situation back home is such that if we go back, we will not be able to stay alive.”
One hears of open drains, unsanitary surroundings and slum-like conditions in the Rohingya camps across India. Farookh lost one of his three children to pneumonia as the winter winds beat hard on his ramshackled shelter. Snakes make a regular appearance during rains, as so do outbreak of dengue, diarrhoea and other diseases. I ask Farookh, what is it that makes him stay on in India. “Peace,” he says. “Jitni sukoon aur shaanti India mein mili, woh kahin aur nahi mili (The peace that I found in India is unlike anywhere else).” Haroon concurs: “My father had studied till Class 10, and yet, he never told us anything about our rights or citizenship. We understood these concepts only when we came to India. We truly understood the idea of democracy here.”
They are now waiting for further news about the directive issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, in August this year, advising states to identify and deport the foreign nationals staying illegally in the country, and to sensitise all law enforcement and intelligence agencies, particularly to the risk posed by the Rohingya. The ministry was contacted for the story, but the query didn’t receive any response.
This advisory has earned the ire of human rights activists across the country. Lawyer Prashant Bhushan filed a petition on behalf of the Rohingya refugees against the government’s proposed order in the Supreme Court last week, stating: “Deporting them in these circumstances is against the Constitutional guarantees to refugees in India as well as against the principle of nonrefoulment, which is a principle of customary international law and is a part of various conventions that India has ratified or is signatory to.”
The petition further stated that the outbreak of violence against the community, especially in June- October 2012, led to hundreds of cases of injury, death, destruction of property and displacement of 1,40,000 people and around 1,20,000 individuals remain in internally displaced camps in the central Rakhine state. Such is the climate of fear, which has led many Rohingya to flee.
The UNHCR is yet to receive any official communication from the Government regarding any changes to its approach on refugees, and there have been no reported instances of deportation of the UNHCRregistered Rohingya from India. However, some refugees have reported instances of harassment, which were addressed through interventions of UNHCR’s NGO partners and with the support of the local authorities. The organisation further states that: “The principle of non-refoulment — or not sending back refugees to a place where they face danger — is considered part of customary international law and therefore binding on all states, whether they have signed the Refugee Convention or not.” In addition, India is party to major international human rights instruments such as International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Haroon and Farookh are still trying to understand the implications of the Government’s advisory. “We had 37 bighas of land and a two-storeyed house back home. One would leave all that behind only if the situation was extremely dire,” says Haroon. The residents of Madanpur Khadar are clear that they don’t want to be associated with anything illegal. “This is why we applied for the refugee cards and have taken UNHCR’s support. We were told about the law of the land when we were given the cards and we wish to abide by them,” says Haroon. The duo emphatically reiterates that if anyone is doing something illegal, put him or her in jail, let there be a trial according to Indian law.
“Ever since we have heard the news of the advisory, we have all lost our appetites,” says Haroon. “My 12-year-old tells me that in her school, students come in cars and from fancy homes, then, she asked me, ‘where is our home?’. I didn’t know what to say.”
The Rohingyas in India are nowwaiting for further news about the directive advising states to identify and deport foreign nationals staying illegally in the country