Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday confirmed that inmates of the Matia detention centre, including Rohingyas, were “pushed back” into Bangladesh by Indian authorities. Sarma’s response endorses reports in Bangladeshi media that their Border Guard detained at least 123 individuals, including Rohingyas and Bengali-speaking individuals, “after India pushed them into Bangladesh”.
Activists have told Maktoob that India is sending detained Rohingyas to the border and pushing them to enter Bangladesh illegally after both Myanmar and Bangladesh refused to take them back formally. According to The Indian Express, Sarma said it was an “operation” by the Government of India involving foreign nationals from across the country, in which Assam was a stakeholder too.
Last week, responding to a batch of petitions challenging the crackdown and deportation of stateless Rohingya refugees in New Delhi, the Supreme Court said that if they are found to be foreigners under Indian law, they must be deported. Rohingya community has been fleeing from their accommodation since the remark from Supreme Court.
Sarma said Rohingyas along with declared foreigners with no appeal pending or those who had no case from Matia transit centre were send to border to cross the border.
The Matia transit centre in Assam’s Golpara district is the biggest detention centre in India aimed to keep “illegal” migrants. The inmates of the facility include bonafide foreign nationals sentenced and convicted for violations of the Foreigners Act, the Citizenship Act and the Passports Act and awaiting deportation, as well as those declared “foreigners” by Foreigners Tribunals in Assam.
“Matia is almost free now with 30-40 people left,” said Sarma.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com.
