Rajnath Singh: India in talks with Bangladesh for deporting Rohingyas

Rajnath Singh

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday that India is in talks with Bangladesh over deportation of Rohingyas living illegally and the process will begin after getting the status report from the states where they are living illegally.

Responding to a specific query in Rajya Sabha during Question Hour by Anand Sharma about talks with Bangladesh over the issue, he said that there has been a discussion between the Indian and Bangladeshi External Affairs Ministers on the issue.

He said right now in the country Rohingyas are in many states and the centre has issued advisory for identifying, numbering and taking biometrics of them.

"The states has been asked also to ensure that they left with no documents so that they can claim for citizenship in future. This advisory has also been issued to the states," he said, adding that after getting reports from the states, these will be sent to the Ministry of External Affairs.

"Then our External Affairs Minister will talk to her Myanmar counterpart. And if felt necessary, she will also talk to External Affairs Minister of Bangladesh so that Rohingyas living in India could be deported," he said.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said that everybody knows the background of Rohingya issue.

"We have approached the Government of Myanmar and Bangladesh also. We all know that they have come from the State of Rakhine in Myanmar. So, the Government of India is impressing upon the Government of Myanmar to take back these people. The process will be as per discussion we had with sovereign countries. I cannot give an assurance here," he said.

Earlier, nominated member Swapan Dasgupta sought to know from the government whether Bangladesh has, for a change, admitted that there were illegal Bangladeshi nationals residing in India and has accepted taking them back.

"Earlier, they had not even admitted that fact. Just as we are approaching this problem, I think, a new problem is coming up. I would like to ask a question on that. This is on the systematic trickling of Rohingya refugees who are coming in, using Bangladesh as a staging post to come into various parts of India, but notably using the sea-borne route to come into Sundarbans area of West Bengal.

"There are reports which have been documented in the electronic media, which have said that 40 organisations are working in close coordination to facilitate them," he said, asking for the steps being taken by the government to actually detect, identify and remove them.

Rijiju said under the Foreigners' Act, 1946, the Central Government has the power to identify, detect and push back or deport anybody who is illegally staying in India.

"With regard to the issue of Rohingyas, we have stated earlier also that there are Rohingyas who have entered India illegally," he said, adding that, as per the security agencies' reports, they are in the Jammu city and Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Jaipur."

In response to another query related to deportation of 52 Bangladeshis in Assam in detention camps, Rijiju said that the Bangladesh has agreed, identified and accepted the identity of these people as Bangladeshi nationals.

"So, now they have agreed to that. These 52 people including one minority will be deported on July 30 at 11 a.m. from Mankachar ICP in Assam" he said.

He rejected the claims that thousands of genuine Indian citizens are kept in detention camps in Assam motivated by the tribunals and the border police taking a particular motive.

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