Rohingya refugees are a threat to national security, says Centre’s draft of affidavit to SC
Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju denied earlier reports that the affidavit had been filed in the Supreme Court.
The Centre has not yet filed its affidavit on Rohingya Muslims in the Supreme Court, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju told ANI. Earlier on Thursday, it was reported that the Centre has filed an affidavit saying Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing Myanmar are a “threat to [India’s] national security”.
However, the Centre is still finalising its affidavit and the draft version was circulated wrongly, a government lawyer told NDTV. The Centre has to file an affidavit in response to a plea filed by two Rohingya immigrants, who claim that they faced persecution in Myanmar, and said the Centre’s plan to deport them was in violation of international convention.
The court will hear the matter on September 18.
The affidavit’s draft had asked the court not to interfere in the deportation of Rohingyas from India, as they have links with extremist outfits and may be even used by the Islamic State group. The government claimed that there were intelligence inputs that some Rohingya were linked with militant groups in Jammu, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mewat.
“It is found that continuity of Rohingya immigration and their continued stay in India, apart from being absolutely illegal, has serious national security ramifications, and will have a very serious adverse impact on the fundamental rights of Indian citizens to share the natural resources of the country,” the draft said, according to News18.