Seven Rohingyas booked for Covid lockdown violation, day after MHA directs their screening

Days after the Home Ministry directed the states to screen Rohingyas for COVID-19, seven Rohingyas have been booked under section 188 IPC for lockdown violation in Narwal area of Jammu. Meanwhile, on April 17, about four to five Rohingyas in Hyderabad, who visited Ajmer and other places, have been advised home isolation. Health and police personnel would visit them to check their health status, police sources said, adding that no positive case has been reported with regard to Rohingyas.

READ | MHA directs states to screen Rohingyas for COVID, says they attended Nizamuddin meet

MHA directs states to screen Rohingyas 

In a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Home Ministry on Saturday has asked all states and Union Territories to screen Rohingyas living in their jurisdiction for COVID-19. The MHA states that the step is being taken as many of them had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, which was declared as a COVID hotspot. As per health ministry, Markaz related cases account for 30% of total cases in the country. 

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In a communication to Chief Secretaries and DGPs, the ministry said there have been reports that several Rohingya Muslims have attended 'Ijtemas' and other religious congregations of Tablighi Jamaat and there is a possibility of their contracting COVID-19. The ministry added that the Rohingyas residing in camps in Hyderabad had attended Tablighi Jamaat 'Ijtema' at Haryana's Mewat, and had also attended the meet at national capital's Nizamuddin.

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Who are Rohingyas?

Rohingyas are an ethnic minority in Myanmar residing in the Rakhine state of the country. While most of the Rohingyas are Muslims, very few are also Hindus. The Buddhist majority nation of Myanmar claims that Rohingyas are residents of Bangladesh and have denied them citizenship rights since 1962.  In August 2017, a Rohingya militant group called Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) claimed responsibility for attacking police and army posts in Myanmar. This prompted action from the Myanmar army, which declared ARSA as a terrorist organisation and allegedly started a brutal campaign in Rakhine state, burning their houses, forcing almost seven hundred thousand Rohingya to leave the country. It was then that the Rohingyas slipped into neighbouring Bangladesh, India and few other countries to seek refuge. 

The Indian government has, however, ordered to deport Rohingyas as they are illegal migrants. The Supreme Court too had in September 2018, deferred a plea filed by two Rohingya refugees challenging Centre's decision to deport them. As per reports, there are approximately 40,000 Rohingyas in India.

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