By: Camp Correspondent
May 17, 2025
The United Nations has accused the Indian government of forcibly deporting a group of Rohingya refugees by casting them into the Andaman Sea near Myanmar’s maritime border, calling the act a grave violation of international law and human decency.
According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at least 40 Rohingya refugees, including women, children, elderly individuals, and 15 Christians, were forcibly removed from detention in New Delhi and flown to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on May 8, 2025. There, they were allegedly handed over to the Indian navy, given life jackets, and ordered to jump into the sea, dangerously close to Myanmar’s coast.
The whereabouts of the deported group remain unknown. Family members have not received formal updates, and no response has been issued by Myanmar authorities.
“Such cruel actions are an affront to human dignity and violate the principle of non-refoulement,” said Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar.
“It is a blatant disregard for the lives of people who are entitled to international protection.”
Five Rohingya refugees currently living in India confirmed to the Associated Press that their relatives were among those deported. One refugee in New Delhi said his parents were among the group and only managed to send a message after borrowing a phone from a fisherman in Myanmar.
“My parents were taken from me and thrown into the waters,” he said with anguish.
“I just want my parents back. That would be enough.”
Photographs and voice recordings reviewed by AP suggest that some of the deportees were beaten by Indian navy personnel, though all claims could not be independently verified. India’s navy and foreign ministry have so far declined to comment.
Dilawar Hussain, a lawyer representing several affected families, has filed a petition with India’s Supreme Court, demanding that the government locate and return the deported refugees to safety.
India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol and lacks a formal refugee protection framework. Nonetheless, approximately 40,000 Rohingya refugees live in India, with around 22,500 registered with the UNHCR. Many reside in informal settlements under precarious and often unsafe conditions.
In recent years, Rohingya refugees in India have faced rising hostility, including from right-wing nationalist groups who label them as illegal migrants. Critics argue that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s controversial citizenship laws have further marginalized Muslim refugees, including the Rohingya.
This latest incident adds to a series of deportations and detentions that have placed Rohingya lives in serious jeopardy—despite clear documentation of genocide, persecution, and statelessness in Myanmar.
The government of Myanmar has not responded to inquiries about receiving the deported group.
Source: AP News
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