Chicago – May 16, 2025
ndian authorities have allegedly thrown 43 Rohingya refugees detained from New Delhi into international waters near the maritime border with Myanmar, forcing children, women, and the elderly to swim to safety with life jackets provided to them.
The inhumane operation reportly happened on 08 May, the day Solicitor General assured the Supreme Court of India that any deportation would be carried out strictly in accordance with the procedure established by law.
In that hearing, 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.
Rohingyas are considered stateless after Myanmar refused to take them back after they fled from their homeland due to genocide against them.
Two Rohingya refugees have confirmed to Maktoob that their family members, who were detained from New Delhi’s Uttam Nagar area, have reached Myanmar.
A petition prepared to be submitted to the Supreme Court of India stated that “children as young as 15, female minors as young as 16, senior citizens up to 66 years old, and people suffering from cancer and other ailments were among those abandoned into the sea without regard for their lives or safety”.
All 43 Rohingya refugees, including 13 females, are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees India and were detained by Delhi Police officials under the pretext of collecting biometric data.
