After having fled
persecution in their native land of predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, violence
seems to have followed the Rohingya refugees in Jammu and Kashmir.
May 08, 2017
By Abhishek Saha
Hindustan Times,
Jammu
He, along with three
men, will stand guard the whole night at different positions around the
settlement comprising 80-odd shanties to stop any arson.
For the past several
weeks, it has been the nightly routine for Hussain and his community members
who have found refuge in Jammu after having fled persecution and violence in
their native land of predominantly Buddhist Myanmar.
But violence seems
to have followed them and the Rohingya refugees are forced to be on their toes.
Ties with their new
neighbours have been testy even at the best of times, but the situation has
taken a turn for the worse in recent months with calls growing for them to quit
Jammu.
In February, posters
put up by the Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party demanding their immediate
deportation were plastered on walls.
“Let all Jammuites
unite to save the history, culture and identity of Dogras,” the posters
exhorted.
Muslims by faith,
the Rohingya refugees routinely raise suspicion in the Hindu-dominated town and
were shaken after a prominent office-bearer of the local Chamber of Commerce
and Industry called for them to be “identified and killed” in April.
A string of
suspicious mysterious fires at the Rohingya settlement over the past few months
have further heightened the tensions. The police hinted at electrical
short-circuit but the refugees suspect sabotage.
Continuing turmoil
in the Kashmir Valley has inflamed religious tensions in Jammu and Rohingya
refugees are bearing the brunt of it.
Described by the
United Nations as the world’s most persecuted minority, the refugees find
themselves under siege in their new home.
“Senior residents of
our settlement had chosen four men as guards and we have started guarding our
settlement. We got scared after some of our huts caught mysterious fire and
locals started protesting against us,” Hussain said.
Mohammad Araf, 23,
who is keeping Hussain company for the night, is equally suspicious of his
current surroundings. “Perhaps we won’t be able to catch the arsonists, but we
may alert the residents on time and save them,” he said.
Araf had arrived in Jammu in 2009. According
to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), there are around 14,000 Rohingya
refugees registered with them in India out of which 7,000 are in Jammu.
Last month, media
reports quoted anonymous home ministry officials saying that the central
government was considering pushing for identification and possible deportation
of the Rohingya from J&K.
Khifayatulla Arkani,
a Rohingya refugee who teaches at a madarsa in one of the settlements,
explained the predicament of his community. “We have been living in Jammu for
years now. But now suddenly, these radical voices against us have started
pouring in. We were feeling safe here, but suddenly our world has turned upside
down,” he said.
Under fire for being “illegal” and being “part
of a conspiracy to reduce the dominant Hindu Dogra community to a minority
status”, the refugees feel they are being targeted for their religion.
Several of them said they were not illegal and
were registered with the UNHCR and have
“refugee cards” that
allow them to take refuge in any part of the country.
“After a series of
interviews in which we gave details about our lives and sufferings, and
following multiple verifications of the same, we were given the Refugee Card
from the UNHCR’s Delhi office,” Arkani said. Yet, he feels their current refuge
has failed to give them the security that they sought while fleeing their home