According to government estimate over 40
According to government estimate over 40,000 Rohingya Muslims have illegally entered India after fleeing Myanmar. Rohingya are an ethnic group who predominantly reside in the western Myanmar province of Rakhine and often speak a dialect of Bengali rather than the native Burmese language. Myanmar does not consider the Rohingyas as citizens as they consider them migrants to their land during the period of the colonial rule. They do not have access to the same resources and services as the Buddhist citizens and despite their lack of recognition their moments in the state are restricted as well. Most of the Rohingyas are impoverished in camps while the rest are ping-ponged between nations that refuse to accept them as refugees.
Bangladesh is currently crumbling at the front line of this impending crisis as it has provided shelter to around 1.23 lakh Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds. The mass influx of refugees poses as a serious problem for Bangladesh and the prime minister Sheik Hasina, unwilling to take in more refugees has requested the United Nations to urge Myanmar to stop the exodus.
Even though India has refused to accept the Rohingyas, many of them have infiltrated our nation through the 1,640km hilly border we share with Myanmar in the east and the 1,596km border with Bangladesh in the southwest. The Rohingyas in the North Eastern States have been targeted by extreme right wing Hindu groups that call for their expulsion from the states and threaten to use means of violence if the government ignores their pleas. Unidentified aggressors have also set 7 huts housing Rohingyas ablaze in Assam and Rohingya families residing on the outskirts of the state alleged that unidentified assaulters beat them up; burning every bit of scrap they collected to earn a livelihood.
Refugees are the most vulnerable section of the society. They can be easily exploited and forced into partaking in activities in order to survive. They require food, shelter, protection, counseling, jobs and healthcare; all of which India doesn’t have the resources to guarantee. India is already home to almost 3 lakh refugees from its neighboring countries including Tibet, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Afghanistan hence it is easy to accept refugees to appease the international audience but India is in no position to provide basic rights to these helpless souls.
