ROHINGYAS IN CITY HAVE VOTER IDS

There are about 3,800 registered Rohingya Muslims in the city. However, nearly 300 to 400 Rohingya Muslims who migrated from Myanmar to escape persecution are considered illegal immigrants.

Police said some of the immigrants have also acquired voter ID cards, which is illegal.

Rohingya Muslims who are not registered or have not renewed their refugee cards with the UNHCR pose a serious security threat, according to the IB and the Hyderabad police. There are about 3,800 registered refugees in the three police commissionerates of Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda. But around 300 to 400 Rohingyas who migrated from Myanmar have no refugee card and are considered illegals.

DCP V Satyanarayana said that an alert has been received from the Centre about illegals from Myanmar. “Even those having refugee cards are not supposed to have voter ID card or ration card and should not avail benefits meant for Indian citizens. However, our investigations found that many of them have got voter ID and ration cards. We have booked four cases recently for obtaining these cards,” Mr Satyanarayana said. He said the refugees enter India via the porous Bangla border.

Police said the Counter Intelligence wing is monitoring three Rohingyas for links with ISIS suspects in the city.

Mr Satyanarayana said, “Two or the three are under our scanner for activities linked to terror. Unauthorised Rohingyas pose a serious security threat.”

He said there are about 10,000 Rohingyas in Kolkata. Hyderabad is the second largest shelter for them, particularly Balapur, Pahadishareef, Hafeezbabanagar, Kihanbagh and Bahadurpura.

On August 5, the police conducted a search on 22 families of Rohingyas living in Asadbabanagar and arrested six of them — all were having a valid UNHCR refugee card. They were released on station bail.

UNHCR runs a refugee facilitation centre in the city along with COVA. COVA director Mazhar Hussain says, “Without local help these refugees can’t get voter ID cards and ration cards. There are instances where they have got passports too. We are asking the police to take action against such people and also against agents and officials who aid them.”

But, as he points out pertinently, "The government and its agencies should differentiate between refugees and illegals. There are international conventions regarding refugees.”

He also pointed to restrictions placed on refugees that invite them to turn to illegal methods to survive. For example, the refugee card does not entitle them to get a SIM card or open a bank account. “No one can live without a SIM card these days, so to obtain the SIM card they are trying to get voter ID cards,” Mr Hussain explained.

The fact of the matter is that most of the refugees are daily workers who earn `400 to `500 a day. Some of them get funds from their relatives abroad. As they don’t have bank accounts, they get money through hawala. “The government should allow them to have SIM cards and open bank accounts with the refugee cards so that these illegal activities can be curbed,” Mr Hussain said.

He says refugee cards are given after rigorous verification. Police is free to take action against those who are staying illegally but it will be gross injustice to send back those who are holding refugee cards as they face serious threat to their lives back in their country.

“We have not come across a single instance of anti-national activity among refugees here,” he said.