India Faces UN Scrutiny Over Reported Rohingya Refugee Expulsions at Sea
The United Nations has said that it will investigate claims of Rohingya refugees being disembarked at sea from an Indian naval ship off the Myanmar coast.
The United Nations issued a statement on Thursday saying it was concerned by reports of Rohingya refugees being forcibly disembarked from an Indian Navy ship in the Andaman Sea last week and that an expert is launching an investigation into such an "unwarranted and unacceptable incident".
Earlier, it was reported in the media that the police in Delhi had caught Rohingya refugees from their homes.
A case related to this was also heard in the Supreme Court of India on Friday. The court expressed doubt in this matter and refused to grant interim relief.
What did the UN say?
In a statement, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has urged the Indian government to refrain from inhumane and life-threatening actions such as deporting Rohingya refugees amid dangerous conditions in Myanmar.
Thomas Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said in a statement, "The idea that Rohingya refugees were thrown into the sea from navy ships is outrageous. I am seeking more information and witnesses about these events. I request the Indian government to provide full details about what happened."
“Such brutal acts are an affront to humanity and represent a serious violation of the principle of no refoulement, a fundamental principle of international law that prohibits the return of persons to a place where their life or freedom would be at risk,” he said.
What is the matter?
Giving details about this matter, the United Nations wrote in its statement that "Last week, Indian authorities detained dozens of Rohingya refugees living in Delhi, many or all of whom had refugee identity documents."
It says, "About 40 of them were reportedly blindfolded and transported to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and then boarded onto an Indian Navy ship."
"After crossing the Andaman Sea, the refugees were reportedly given life jackets and forced into the sea to swim to an island in Myanmar territory."
The United Nations has said in its statement that the refugees who were stranded in the sea have been saved.
The statement said, "According to the information received, these refugees swam to the shore and survived, but there is no information yet about where they are and how they are."
The statement also said that 'Indian authorities have also reportedly removed a group of about 100 Rohingya refugees from a detention center in Assam and transferred them to an area bordering Bangladesh. There is no information yet about the whereabouts and condition of this group.'
Thomas Andrews said in the statement, "The Indian government should immediately condemn the inhumane actions against Rohingya refugees, stop all deportations to Myanmar, and ensure that those responsible for violations of international commitments are held accountable."
The matter reached the Supreme Court
Citizen for justice and peace has said in a report that in recent days, foreign nationals, including Rohingya refugees, are being mass-removed from Matia and Gowalpara detention centres in Assam.
According to Live Law and Courtbook, websites covering court cases, a PIL related to the incident came up for hearing in the Supreme Court on Friday.
The petition claims that the Indian government forcibly deported 43 Rohingyas to Myanmar and disembarked them from a ship in the international waters off the coast. These included children, women and the elderly as well as people who had health problems like cancer.
While hearing the petition, Justice Suryakant and Justice Kotishwar Singh expressed doubts over the claims made in the petition.
The petitioner had requested for an interim order to stop the deportation of Rohingya, which was rejected by the court.
Citing the hearing of a related case on May 8, the court said that interim relief has not been granted in another similar case.
The court also rejected the request for an immediate hearing and fixed the hearing for July 31.
The lawyer appearing on behalf of the petitioner requested the court to intervene in the matter soon, citing the statement of the United Nations, but the court said that "we will comment on the UN report when the bench of three judges sits."
In the May 8 petition cited by the Supreme Court bench, the petitioner has requested the court to review whether fundamental rights apply to non-citizens as well, and whether the proposed deportation of Rohingya Muslims violates their right to life under Article 21.
