In a shocking and inhumane act that has drawn global condemnation, Indian authorities forcibly expelled dozens of Rohingya refugees into the Andaman Sea, leaving them to swim ashore in Myanmar’s conflict-ridden coastal region under the cover of night.

Local fisherman Nye Nge Soe, who witnessed the incident, described seeing dark figures struggling in the waves around 1am on May 8. “I saw a ship dropping many people into the sea. I could hear them shouting,” he told The Straits Times. “There were old people and women who could not swim.”

The refugees, who were later identified as Rohingya deportees from India, said they had been detained, blindfolded, and handcuffed before being loaded onto an Indian Navy vessel and abandoned at sea—an action the United Nations has condemned as “unconscionable” and “an affront to human decency.”

India’s Dangerous Crackdown on the Stateless

India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, led by a Hindu nationalist agenda, has been systematically targeting Rohingya refugees, who number around 40,000 in the country. At least 40 individuals, including women and the elderly, were deported between May 6 and 9 alone. Another 50 were forcibly pushed across the land border into Bangladesh, bypassing all legal and humanitarian processes.

Despite holding verified refugee documents from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), these individuals were stripped of their rights and forcibly removed from India, violating the international legal principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to places where their lives or freedom are at risk.

Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, slammed India’s actions as cruel and illegal. Even Myanmar’s shadow government—the National Unity Government (NUG)—confirmed the arrival of 40 Rohingya dumped along the southern coast.

Human Suffering Used for Political Gain

Human rights advocates and political analysts accuse India’s ruling BJP of using vulnerable Rohingya as political scapegoats. Angshuman Choudhury, a policy expert, noted that India intentionally conflates Rohingya refugees with undocumented Bangladeshi migrants to justify xenophobic crackdowns, reinforcing a hardline image to garner votes.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma publicly bragged about a new policy of “push backs,” sidestepping legal channels to forcibly expel foreigners—actions condemned by Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry as violations of international and bilateral norms.

In New Delhi, police raided Rohingya settlements, detaining dozens under the guise of biometric verification. Refugees reported being beaten, insulted with racial slurs like “ghuspetiya” (infiltrator), and denied due process.

One refugee, Mohammad, described how his entire family was detained while he was at a hospital with his miscarrying wife. He later received a desperate voice message from his brother saying they were being taken to sea. “They begged to go anywhere but Myanmar,” Mohammad said. “Still, India threw them back into death.”

Thrown Into a War Zone

Myanmar is currently engulfed in civil war. The deported refugees were eventually rescued by local fishermen and handed over to the NUG’s People’s Defence Force. But returning them to a war zone they fled in terror is “inhuman,” said Myanmar Deputy Human Rights Minister Aung Kyaw Moe.

UNHCR has expressed deep concern and requested clarifications from India, while refugee support groups like Fortify Rights confirmed reports of refugees being blindfolded and handcuffed during transport.

BJP’s Election Tactics at the Cost of Human Lives

Analysts suggest that the BJP is using aggressive deportation policies as an election strategy, especially in states like Assam and Bihar, where polls are due later in 2025. Despite zero evidence linking Rohingya to crime or job loss, the ruling party continues to vilify them for political gain.

Refugees now face heightened fear, with landlords forcing them out and local police intensifying harassment. “I don’t know where to go,” cried Mrs. S from Jammu, whose entire family was deported. “India sent them back to death, even though we had UN refugee cards. Who will protect us now?”

With India refusing to provide safety, Bangladesh overloaded, and Myanmar still unsafe, Rohingya refugees once again find themselves stateless, homeless, and hunted—trapped between borders and abandoned by humanity.

BOB Post