February 26, 2017
Rohingyas and Bangladeshis in Jammu are looking forward to an uncertain future in the tensed Indian state as nationalists of different shades have embarked on a campaign to drive the Muslim refugees and immigrants from the country.
Billboards calling for the expulsion of the Muslim countries have been erected by the J & K Panthers party, an influential political outfit representing the Dogra community. The signs also call upon the people of Jammu to unite to protect their history, culture and their identity.
The Rohingya community are living under the auspices of the UNHCR. As Muslims, they have gotten support from the Kashmiri community. Just like that in this communally surcharged part of the world, they have been targeted by anti Muslim communal outfits, including the ruling BJP.
BJP leaders who have even taken legal proceedings in the court against the Muslim immigrants have repeatedly pointed out the Rohingyas and Bangladeshis as a national security threat especially in a sensitive region near Kashmir.
There are an estimated 50,000 Rohingya refugees in India. The number of Bangladeshi migrants are likely to be in the millions.
Last week, activists allegedly belonging to the Panthers group burned down five huts in the Bhagwati Nagar region. Arson attacks are becoming more frequent as Hindu nationalists and regional groups launch movements against Rohingyas and Bangladeshi migrants.
