India is ramping up its efforts to deport specific ethnic groups, notably the Rohingya from Myanmar. Recent reports from the UN’s human rights office suggest that the Indian Navy may have compelled 40 Rohingya immigrants to leap into the ocean as part of this initiative.
The Rohingya are recognized as one of the most oppressed communities globally,with over a million fleeing Myanmar due to a brutal military campaign in 2017. While many sought refuge in Bangladesh, around 22,000 have registered as refugees with the UN in India.
However, india’s stance on their situation is starkly different. The government views them as potential security threats and has accused them of having links to terrorism. Notably, India lacks an official “refugee” classification and hasn’t signed onto international agreements like the 1951 Refugee Convention. Consequently, all Rohingya present in India are deemed illegal immigrants and face sporadic deportation efforts.
This latest wave of deportations seems more aggressive than before.Himanta Biswa Sarma from the ruling BJP party recently described “pushbacks” without legal proceedings as a new approach—calling these extralegal actions an “innovation.”
Human rights organizations claim that recent deportation tactics by Indian authorities have become increasingly harsh. A troubling incident reported by local activists began last week when police detained numerous Rohingya refugees in New Delhi for processing on May 6. Approximately 40 individuals where reportedly blindfolded and flown about 1,500 miles southeast to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Upon arrival ther,thay were transferred onto an Indian Navy ship bound for Myanmar’s Tanintharyi region—roughly 300 nautical miles away across the Andaman Sea. Survivors recounted being handed life jackets before being forced into water and ordered to swim ashore on a remote island in Myanmar.
The group included vulnerable individuals such as teenagers and elderly people battling health issues like cancer, according to India’s largest rights association—the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). Thankfully, all managed to reach land safely; however, some reported experiencing beatings while detained—a pattern consistent with other recent allegations against authorities.
“The notion that Rohingya refugees could be thrown into open waters from naval vessels is utterly appalling,” stated Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights concerning Myanmar.He called for more facts regarding these events while urging transparency from the Indian government about what transpired.
This isn’t an isolated case; irregular deportations have been noted by neighboring countries too. Just last weekend, Bangladeshi coast guards rescued 78 individuals who had been abandoned after being forcibly removed near Sundarbans—a vast river delta between Bangladesh and India’s coastlines. The survivors claimed they had been detained in Gujarat before being flown close to their border region then taken via boat to Mandarbaria beach where they were left stranded on May 9th—only discovered by local foresters a day later! Reports indicate one survivor suffered a broken arm while others bore visible injuries after going days without food according to forest conservator Moshiur rahman who spoke with The Business Standard.
