Following a military crackdown of the Rohingyas' homeland in 2017, approximately 5,000 Rohingyas sought refuge in Jammu. In 2021, authorities in Jammu detained more than 160 refugees, with the purpose of deporting them to Myanmar. By July 2023, 271 Rohingyas — including 74 women and 70 children — were reported to be detained at Hiranagar Jail in Kathua, Jammu, which is used as a "holding centre" for the refugees.[2] Families of these refugees have raised concerns about the perilous conditions in Myanmar, particularly following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.[1]
After the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014, anti-Rohingya sentiment grew in India, with its leaders urging the removal of Rohingyas from the country. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in India issues identity cards to registered refugees intended to protect them from arbitrary arrests and deportations.[3] In India, however, the UNHCR identity cards do not offer protection from detention. They only serve to provide access to services. At best, they protect from punitive action.[4]
The Rohingyas have protested against their detention in Jammu by going on hunger strikes and demonstrations. In July 2023, a clash occurred between the detainees — on a hunger strike since April — and the police, with the latter resolving to using tear gas to control what they called an unruly mob. A few days after the incident, a five-month old baby died after failing to receive treatment after inhaling the gas.[5]
Leaders of the BJP have initiated campaigns calling for the expulsion of all Rohingya.[6]
