Rohingya refugees will be held if they try to vote: Hyderabad election officer
HYDERABAD: Hyderabad District Election Officer, M Dana Kishore informed that if they come across a Rohingya refugees, who is marked in the Absent, Shifted and Deleted (ASD) list, comes to vote then the person will be immediately taken into custody and a case will be registered against him/her under the provisions of Section 31 of the RP Act, 1950 read with relevant penal provisions of IPC.
A copy of the list containing the details of Rohingya voters has been made available with the sector officers. The list of Rohingyas who have fraudulently obtained the voter ID cards have been identified and steps have been taken to delete them from the electoral rolls.
Rohingyas are an ethnic minority community in the northern Rakhine State of Myanmar and have been fleeing to several countries including India as refugees since 2012. The Rohingya influx into Hyderabad started in 2013. About 5,025 Rohingyas are taking shelter in Hyderabad and its surrounding areas either in refugee camps or in private rented accommodations.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees is providing UNHCR ID cards to these refugees. Several instances have come to light where these people have obtained Electoral Photo Identity Cards by enrolling themselves as voters by giving false declaration stating that they are citizens of India.