Centre asks states not to give any documents to Rohingyas

The Home Minister was responding to questions about the steps taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to deport the Rohingyas.

Rohingya refugee students at the night school in the Balapur refugee camp. (Express Photo Service)

JAMMU: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said all states have been asked to conduct a survey of Rohingya Muslims living in the country, but have been cautioned against providing any legal documents to the community that would help the latter claim Indian citizenship.

He was responding to questions about the steps taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to deport the Rohingyas.

"Advisory was issued to them (all states) that no document should be given to them (Rohingyas) so that they claim citizenship of the country in future," the minister told a press conference here.

Singh said the process of deportation of the community would begin once the survey information from all the states reaches the ministry.

"After getting the information from the state governments about the number of Rohingyas, we will hand over the case to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

We will talk to the Burma (Myanmar) government for starting the process of their (Rohingyas) deportation," he said.

The MHA had written to all the states, asking them to identify the Rohingyas living in their respective states and a survey be conducted to know their numbers in order to start the deportation process.

More than 10,000 Rohingya Muslims are living in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Their presence is most found in Jammu and Samba districts of the state.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had in January said in the state assembly that some madrasas were associated with the Rohingya Muslims in the state.

She said no Rohingya Muslim had been found involved in militancy-related incidents, but 17 FIRs have been registered against 38 Rohingyas for various offences, including those related to illegal border crossing.

Rohingyas belong to Rakhine province of Myanmar.

Most of the community has left the country due to alleged persecution by the majority Buddhists.