Jammu: 25 Rohingyas belonging to Tablighi Jamaat detained in Ramban

At least 25 Rohingya men, owing allegiance to Tablighi Jamaat, were detained in Ramban district and sent to Hiranagar holding centre on Friday, said officials.

“They were part of Tablighi Jamaat and had come for religious preaching. They were staying at mosques in Ramban,” said a senior police officer.

On March 6 last year, 169 illegal immigrant Rohingyas were sent to the holding centre, following which the government had to conduct the process of nationality verification to pave way for their deportation. In March last year, the J&K administration had started the verification process at MA stadium in the winter capital.

It may be stated here that the last PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir had been asked by the BJP government at the Centre to prepare a database of Rohingyas in J&K so that they could be deported. According to an official estimate of that government, 5,700 Rohingyas had settled in and around Jammu.

However, in total contravention to the statistics presented by then chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on April 27, 2017 had told HT that there were 7,000 Rohingyas in J&K. Rohingya Muslims are considered to be one of the most persecuted communities in the world.

A government document then had also stated that 17 FIRs have been registered against 38 Rohingyas for various offences including illegal border crossing and drug-trafficking.

On March 3, 2017, the then Home Minister Rajnath Singh had sought a report from the state over unabated influx of refugees to Jammu. On March 25, 2017, the then Jammu district commissioner Simrandeep Singh had recovered fake state subject certificates, voter ID cards, Aadhaar cards and ration cards from the temporary shelters of Rohingya Muslims in Jammu.

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