India throws 40 Rohingyas into the sea
After being detained in Delhi, India, 40 Rohingya refugees have been accused of being thrown into the sea without any legal process, wearing life jackets.
The United Nations has made this serious allegation against the Indian Navy. The families of the victims have approached the Supreme Court of India to get their loved ones back in this incident.
According to the reports of the news agencies AP and Anadolu Agency, 40 Rohingyas, including women, children, and the elderly, were detained on the night of May 6 from the Uttam Nagar, Bikashpuri, and Hasatsal areas of Delhi. Later, on May 8, they were taken by plane and then put on a ship. Later, the Indian Navy put them in life jackets and threw them into the water near the maritime border of Myanmar.
It is not clear where the refugees are currently. The United Nations human rights organization has made this allegation of throwing Rohingya refugees into the sea.
The families lost contact with the Rohingya refugees immediately after their detention. In this incident, the relatives have approached the Supreme Court of India to demand the return of their loved ones.
The victim’s family member said, “My brother told me that they were all given life jackets and after removing their handcuffs and blindfolds, they were thrown into the water. They swam for about 30 minutes to save their lives. Then a fisherman rescued them and took them to an island. My brother called me using the phone of that fisherman.”
The United Nations has appointed an expert to investigate the incident. It has also warned the Indian government not to treat any refugees in such inhumane manner in the future.
Lawyers for the UN refugee agency said that the detainees were not produced in court under Article 22 of the law, which violates the Indian constitution.
UNHCR legal officer Dilawar Hossain said that they were subjected to a terrible deception. There was no arrest warrant or court proceedings. There was even no special juvenile police unit for women.
He added that the husband of one woman, who had recently had an abortion, was taken away. Another woman alleged that three police officers entered her house in a drunken state and tried to physically assault her.
The report further states that the 40 people were later blindfolded, handcuffed and airlifted to Port Blair. They were then taken to international waters by an Indian Navy ship and thrown into the water one by one.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs and the Navy have not yet commented on the matter.
