Amit Shah warns every illegal refugee will be deported after 7 Rohingyas sent back to Myanmar

Seven Rohingya Muslims were deported to Myanmar on Thursday.

JAIPUR: BJP president Amit Shah on Thursday warned that every illegal immigrant residing in any part of the country will be identified and deported back to his country of origin.

The BJP chief said that the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre has begun the process of sending back illegal refugees to their native countries.

"Our government will identify each and every infiltrator and ensure they are out of the voters` list. In fact, we have started the process to deport the Rohingya immigrants to Myanmar from Thursday itself," Shah said in Sikar.

The BJP president made these remarks while speaking at an ex-soldiers convention in Sikar.

सीकर (राजस्थान) में आयोजित पूर्व सैनिक सम्मेलन को संबोधित किया।
इस सम्मेलन में उमड़ा पूर्व सैनिकों व उनके परिजनों का यह सैलाब प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी जी के नेतृत्व में भारत के वीर सैनिकों के विश्वास का प्रतीक है। pic.twitter.com/mnb1DOnN9K

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 4, 2018

Shah said that the state`s BJP had always been pro-soldiers, irrespective of the fact whether it was in the government or in the opposition. 

"The Manmohan Singh government never gave a befitting reply to Pakistan. But now, our soldiers on the border are well aware of the fact that the reply to a bullet is a bomb," he said.

सर्जिकल स्ट्राइक के समय राहुल गाँधी ने जवानों की वीरता को खून की दलाली करार दिया था। राहुल गाँधी, आपको बलिदान का मोल नहीं मालूम, सर्जिकल स्ट्राइक का महत्त्व नही मालूम। सर्जिकल स्ट्राइक से दुनिया का भारतवर्ष को देखने के नजरिये में व्यापक बदलाव करने का कार्य मोदी सरकार ने किया है। pic.twitter.com/iED4Gm6woX — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 4, 2018

The BJP leader said that it was for the first time after Independence that a Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, had set the target of making the Army the world's most modern by 2022. 

"He has taken up the Herculean task of providing the most modern technology and weapons to the Army," Shah said. 

In four years, over 600 terrorists and 300 Naxalites had been killed, which proved that India was a strong nation, he contended.

On the occasion, Shah honoured the widows of jawans who lost their lives in the line of duty. 

पूर्व सैनिक सम्मेलन में वीर बलिदानियों के परिवारों की वीरांगनाओं को सम्मानित करने का सौभग्य प्राप्त हुआ।
देश की सुरक्षा के लिए हमारे सैनिकों के बलिदान के हम सब सदैव ऋणी रहेंगे। pic.twitter.com/7dmmXnbHP1 — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 4, 2018

The remarks from the BJP president came shortly after seven Rohingya Muslims were deported to neighbouring Myanmar six years after they entered the country illegally and jailed.

They were deported shortly after the Supreme Court paved the way for the first such action against the community.

The move sparked criticism from rights groups with Amnesty International alleging that the Indian government is conducting a "relentless smear" campaign against Rohingya immigrants and that it sets a "dangerous" precedent for all asylum seekers in the country.

The men, who are in the age bracket of 26-32 years, were detained in 2012. They were later lodged in Cachar Central Jail in Silchar in Assam after a court convicted them under the Foreigners Act, holding them as illegal immigrants. 

Indian and Myanmar security officials exchanged documents before the deportation of the men on the India-Myanmar border at Moreh in Manipur.

Rohingyas are a stateless Muslim minority who have faced persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

"Seven Myanmarese nationals have been deported today. They were handed over to the authorities of Myanmar at Moreh border post in Manipur," Assam Additional Director General of Police (Border) Bhaskar J Mahanta said. 

Consular access had been given to Myanmar diplomats, who confirmed the identity of the immigrants, Mahanta said.

The confirmation of the Myanmarese citizenship of the illegal immigrants came after the government of the neighbouring country verified their addresses in Rakhine State and all of them were given travel documents by Myanmar, a Union Home Ministry official said. This is for the first time Rohingya immigrants were sent back to Myanmar from India, the official added.

The repatriation of the seven immigrants was arranged after "reconfirming" their willingness to return and with "full concurrence" of the Myanmarese government, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court refused to step in to stop the deportation by dismissing a plea against the government's move.

The court said these Rohingyas were convicted by the competent court under the Foreigners Act and were held to be as illegal immigrants.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K M Joseph said that even the country of their origin Myanmar has identified them and accepted them as its citizens.

"Having considered the prayer, we would not like to interfere with the decision taken. The petition is dismissed," the bench said.

The bench rejected the plea made by one of the Rohingyas, who had filed an application seeking to restrain the Centre from deporting to Myanmar the seven Rohingyas lodged in a detention centre at Silchar in Assam.

Those deported were Md Jamal, Mohbul Khan, Jamal Hussain, Md Yonus, Sabir Ahmed, Rahim Uddin and Md Salam - all in the 26-32 year age bracket.

(With Agency inputs)