SRINAGAR: Dozens of Rohingya refugees held in a jail in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir were subjected to tear gas by the Indian police on Tuesday to quell their protest, according to relatives of the detainees.
Relatives of the Rohingya refugees reported that a widely circulated video showed tear gas canisters being thrown at a group of Rohingya refugees at Hiranagar jail in Jammu. The refugees had initiated a hunger strike earlier in the day. In the video, an injured man could be seen pointing to his ankle.
The Rohingya community expressed concern about the well-being of their loved ones as the jail authorities have not yet released any official statement regarding the incident.
In February 2021, approximately 150 Rohingya refugees residing in Jammu were placed in a “holding center” established within the jail on the Indian government’s orders. The Indian government considers the Rohingya, who are Muslims, as illegal aliens and a security risk. The government has directed the identification and repatriation of thousands of Rohingya living in scattered settlements.
The relatives of the detained refugees have been demanding the release and deportation of all detainees or the detention of their own relatives living in the region.
Problems of Rohingya Refugees in India
“We want to know what sin we have committed,” said Musheed Aalam, a Rohingya refugee. He added that some parents are incarcerated while their children are left outside, vulnerable to strangers. When they were forced to leave Myanmar, they hoped for safety in India as a large country, but their hopes were shattered, Musheed lamented.
Musheed expressed the community’s concern over the incident at the jail, stating that they only have access to the video in circulation. He mentioned his wife’s worries about her 70-year-old father, who is one of the prisoners.
“The video doesn’t provide the full story. We don’t know what happened afterward. Our people are in distress inside, and we are anxious outside. Our miseries seem to have no end,” Musheed expressed.
Amnesty International reports that over 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mainly women and children, fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh in August 2017 after Myanmar’s security forces initiated a crackdown on the minority Muslim community. According to the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA), since August 25, 2017, over 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces. The OIDA report titled “Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience” also documented over 34,000 Rohingya thrown into fires, more than 114,000 beaten, and approximately 18,000 Rohingya women and girls raped by Myanmar’s army and police. Additionally, it highlighted the destruction of over 115,000 Rohingya homes and the vandalism of 113,000 others.
Most Rohingya refugees currently reside in precarious camps along the border with Bangladesh.
