By Raqib Hameed Naik, Twocircles.net
Jammu: A day after Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) issued an open threat to kill Rohingya Muslim refugees living in Jammu, the statement has sent shockwaves among the refugees living in the Jammu city.
In a press conference held on Friday April 7, Rakesh Gupta, the president of JCCI had given warning to state and central government to expel the Rohingya and Burmese refugees living in the state and had threatened to start their self-styled movement of killing the Muslim refugees, in case of non-compliance by the government.
TwoCircles.net called Rakesh Gupta to know JCCI’s side of story behind issuing the open threat. He said, “These refugees are a security threat to the state. They are involved in lot of crimes like thefts and drug trade.”
The Rohingya refugees, he said, are also providing shelter to militants, but was able to substantiate his claims by providing evidence. Importantly, not
even a single case of Rohingya refugee providing shelter to militants has come to forefront in the state yet.
“They are changing the demography of Jammu. If they continue to pour in for the next 10 years, then we will have to migrate like Kashmiri pandits,” he added.
He further added that the statement was issued just out of frustration and it had no intention to kill the refugees. “It was issued only to pressurize the government,” he clarified.
But in slums of Narwal inhabiting the Rohingya refugees, the fear is visible. The fear had forced most of the refugees, who work as cheap labour force at construction sites to avoid going at work place.
“We came to know about the statement yesterday evening and everyone is in fear here. No one has dared to step out for work today. The case is already in court, they should have waited for the court to decide,” Mohammad Ali, a Rohingya refugee working as a labourer told TCN.
Another refugee,Younous AKhtar said, “They allege us of doing criminal activities. If they have proof let them show it to us. The police would have arrested Rohingya people if they were involved in criminal activities.”
They were being targeted, said Younous, because of their religion. “If the court or government asks us to leave the country, we will leave, but they must also tell us, where should we go? We wonder why don’t they see this issue from a human perspective, instead of using religious lens,” he added.
The Kashmir Economic Alliance, a body of traders was quick to react to JCCI statement and said, “How can you use words like ‘Indentify and Kill’ in a civilized society and what is preventing the government from filing an FIR into this irresponsible which has come from reputed organisation of Jammu Inc.”
“Why is Jammu Inc resorting to discrimination or is it simply part of the conspiracy to eliminate Muslims from the map of Jammu and Kashmir as happened in 1947,” said Haji Muhammad Yasin Khan, Chairman KEA.
In February, 2017, J&K National Panthers Party had put hoardings across Jammu asking Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees to leave the winter capital.
There are around 1,219 Rohingya families comprising over 5,000 people living as refugee after escaping persecution back in their country. Spread across different areas in Jammu, the refugees live in dozens of slum dwellings.
Most of these slums are in abysmal conditions without proper toilets, water facilities, and electricity. The community has been having a hard time since a fire ravaged one of the slums, leaving them with little cover in the biting cold last winters.
Recently, the media reported about the government plans to identify, arrest and deport 40,000 Rohingya refugees.
Amnesty International India while condemning the government move had retreated that forcing Rohingya asylum-seekers and refugees back to Myanmar would violate the international principle of non-refoulement – which is recognised in customary international law and is binding on India – that forbids states from forcibly returning people to a country where they would be at real risk of serious human rights violations.