New Delhi, 21.02.2023: The Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) today stated that over 10,000 persons sought refuge in India while at least 203 asylum seekers were arrested across the country as Mizoram became the epicenter of refugee influx during the year. By the end of 2022, India had about 4,05,000 refugees i.e. 2,13,578 refugees recognized/registered by the Government of India and housed in various camps/settlements, about 31,313 refugees belonging to minority communities from neighbouring countries who had been given Long Term Visas on the basis of their claims of religious persecution and about 1,60,085 unregistered refugees. As India’s refugee policy is mainly to detain and deport, and refugees are forced to operate in a clandestine and surreptitious manner, the actual number of refugee populations in the country are undoubtedly higher than the reported number of refugees.
Mizoram was the epicenter for refugee influx in 2022 receiving refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh. In 2022, instability in Myanmar and attacks on religious minorities in Afghanistan and Bangladesh caused the influx of over 10,000 refugees to India. These includes over 9,000 refugees who entered Mizoram from Myanmar (8,149 refugees by February 2022 and 589 on 31 August 20223 and 300 Chin-Kuki refugees entered from the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh), about 85 Burmese refugees and about 100 Sikh and Hindu refugees airlifted from Afghanistan.
In 2022, instability in Myanmar and attacks on religious minorities in Afghanistan and Bangladesh caused the influx of over 10,000 refugees to India. These include over 9,000 refugees who entered Mizoram from Myanmar (8,149 refugees by February 2022 and 589 on 31 August 2022 and 300 Chin-Kuki refugees entered from the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh), about 85 Burmese refugees who entered Manipur and about 100 Sikh and Hindu refugees airlifted from Afghanistan.
“Ethnic or religious affiliation determined the treatment of the refugees. While the Sikh and Hindu refugees from Afghanistan were airlifted, India followed ‘detain and deport policy’ with respect to the Rohingya refugees. On 17 August 2022, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri promised allotment of flats and security in Bakkarwala area in West Delhi to members of the Muslim minority. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs quickly stated that Rohingyas would be held at a detention centre and then be deported. Similarly, Mizoram decided to provide humanitarian assistance to the Chin refugees from Myanmar and Kuki-Chin refugees from Bangladesh in defiance of the directions of the Government of India as the refugees have the same ethnic roots as the Mizos. In Manipur too, indigenous communities provided assistance as refugees fleeing from Sagaing and Chin State of Myanmar despite the crackdown by the Manipur Police.”- stated Mr Suhas Chakma, Director of the RRAG.
“In 2022, at least 203 refugees i.e. 118 Rohingya refugees, 85 Kuki-Chin refugees in Manipur and 20 Myanmar refugees in Mizoram were arrested on various charges ranging from illegal entry into India to arms smuggling. During 2022, two Rohingya refugees i.e. Haseena Begum and Jafar Alam were deported to Myanmar. India even prevented third country immigration of the Rohingya refugees. In September 2022, Senoara Begum, recognised as a refugee from Myanmar by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in New Delhi, sought the exit permit to reunite with her husband following issuance of visas by the United States. India denied the exit permit on the grounds of no verification of the nationality of Begum and her children by the Embassy of Myanmar and its policy of deporting illegal foreigners to their country of origin and not granting exit to illegal migrants to a third country given the bearing it can have upon similarly placed cases. “India’s ‘detain and deport’ policy forced refugees to operate in a clandestine and surreptitious manner making asylum seekers easy target of various criminal syndicates. In March 2022, two Rohingya girls were rescued from the Guwahati railway station in Assam and six persons were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for trafficking and helping Rohingyas illegally entering India. The rackets were active in the border areas of Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya and other parts of the country.” – further stated Mr Chakma.
“Ethnic or religious affiliation determined India’s policy for the treatment of the refugees. While the Sikh and Hindu refugees from Afghanistan were airlifted, India followed ‘detain and deport policy’ with respect to the Rohingya refugees. On 17 August 2022, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri promised allotment of flats and security in Bakkarwala area in West Delhi to members of the Muslim minority. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs quickly stated that Rohingyas will be held at a detention centre and then deported. Similarly, Mizoram decided to provide humanitarian assistance to the Chin refugees from Myanmar and Kuki-Chin refugees from Bangladesh in defiance of the directions of the Government of India given the fact that the refugees have the same ethnic roots. In Manipur too, indigenous communities in Churachandpur provided assistance as refugees fleeing from Sagaing and Chin State of Myanmar despite the crackdown by the Manipur Police.”- stated Mr Suhas Chakma, Director of the RRAG.
“In 2022, at least 203 refugees i.e. 118 Rohingya refugees, 85 Kuki-Chin refugees in Manipur and 20 Myanmar refugees in Mizoram were arrested on various charges ranging from illegal entry into India to arms smuggling. During 2022, two Rohingya refugees i.e. Haseena Begum and Jafar Alam were deported to Myanmar. India even prevented third country immigration of the Rohingya refugees. In September 2022, Senoara Begum, recognized as a refugee from Myanmar by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in New Delhi, sought the exit permit to reunite with her husband following issuance of visas by the United States. India denied the exit permit on the grounds of no verification of the nationality of Begum and her children by the Embassy of Myanmar and its policy of deporting illegal foreigners to their country of origin and not granting exit to illegal migrants to a third country given the bearing it can have upon similarly placed cases.
“India’s ‘detain and deport’ policy forced refugees to operate in a clandestine and surreptitious manner making asylum seekers easy target of various criminal syndicates. In March 2022, two Rohingya girls were rescued from the Guwahati railway station in Assam and six persons were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for trafficking and helping Rohingyas illegally entering India. The rackets were active in the border areas of Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya and other parts of the country.” – further stated Mr Chakma.
