The United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Tuesday called on India to end the arbitrary detention and forcible deportation of Rohingya refugees.

The rights body warned that by sending members of the ethnic group back to Myanmar, India would be subjecting them to serious human rights violations and abuses.

The Rohingya are predominantly Muslim. They have been denied citizenship in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where they are classified as illegal immigrants.

The Rohingya are the victims of a state-sponsored ethnic-cleansing campaign in their home country. Several thousands of them have fled to India and Bangladesh to escape death and violence.

A 2022 report by the United States Department of State “determined that members of the Burmese military committed genocide and crimes against humanity against Rohingya”.

The United Nations’ committee said on Tuesday that it was alarmed by several reports of forcible deportation of Rohingya refugees from India between 2018 and 2022.

The committee monitors its member-states adherence to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. It comprises 18 independent human rights experts from around the world.

On Tuesday, the committee also said that India would be in violation of the principle of non-refoulement if it pursues further deportation.

Non-refoulement is a provision in international law that bars nations from returning asylum seekers to countries where they may face persecution.

The committee also called on the Indian government to ensure that immigration detention for Rohingyas is applied only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest possible period.

India was also urged to provide detained Rohingyas with access to legal counsel. Their living conditions in places of detention must be adequate and in accordance with international standards, the committee stated.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are about 79,000 Rohingya refugees living in India. About 22,000 are registered with the United Nations’ refugee agency.

The United Nations’ rights body also highlighted “widespread racist hate speech and harmful stereotypes against Rohingya, including by politicians and public figures”. India was urged to combat the spread of racist hate speech against the Rohingya in the press and on social media.

The Indian government should “firmly condemn such heinous acts and ensure they are investigated and adequately punished, in compliance with its international obligations arising from the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination”, the statement said.

India’s external affairs ministry has not yet commented on the matter.

Also read: Funerals in handcuffs, families torn apart: The cost of the long detention of Rohingyas in Jammu