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| Rohingya refugees walk on a muddy path after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, in Teknaf, Bangladesh, September 6, 2017. |
Even though the government has called them a serious security threat, the Rohingyas have urged that they should be treated on par with Tibetan and Sri Lankan ones and refuted claims of having terror link.
In response to a PIL challenging deportation of Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, the government said that some of the illegal immigrants pose a serious security threat.
"Continuance of Rohingyas' illegal immigration into India and their continued stay, apart from being absolutely illegal, is found to be having serious national security ramifications and has serious security threats," Centre said in the affidavit.
"It is observed by the Central Government that some Rohingyas are indulging in illegal/anti-national activities i,e., mobilization of funds through hundi/hawala channels, procuring fake/fabricated Indian identity documents for other Rohingyas and also indulging in human trafficking," the affidavit reads.
However, refuting the government's claim, in the affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, Rohingyas said they have no terror links. “No terror links with ISI/ISIS and no Rohingyas in India have indulged in anti-national activities and this assertion is not substantiated with any evidence by the government,” reported Hindustan Times.
“In the case of Sri Lankan refugees, the government had put in place a screening mechanism to identify those associated with LTTE [whom India had declared as a terrorist organisation] or having a criminal record and had put them in special camps," the affidavit said according to The Hindu.
A day ago, Home Minister Rajnath Singh also said Rohingyas are not refugees who have applied for asylum in India but illegal immigrants who 'will be deported'.
Rohingyas are minority Muslims in western Myanmar and have been fleeing their homes following an army crackdown on their villages that has left hundreds dead. The home minister said India would not be violating any international law if it deports Rohingyas as it is not a signatory to the UN Refugees Convention 1951.
Some 40,000 Rohingyas have settled in India, and 16,000 of them have received refugee documentation, the UN estimates.
The United Nations have appealed to the entire international community to keep the political differences aside and support the ongoing humanitarian efforts to help Rohingya Muslim refugees.
India strongly rejected the criticism by the UN human rights chief over its handling of Rohingya Muslim refugees.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju also said that the chorus of branding India as a villain is a calibrated design to tarnish country's image.
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