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Over 9,000 suspected Rohingyas living in UP; identification process underway
They reside in camps on the outskirts, on roadsides near railway stations and bus stands as well as slums that have recently come up on deserted stretches in cities
LUCKNOW Over 9,000 suspected Rohingyas have been living illegally in various districts across UP after sneaking into Indian territory through North-Eastern states. The process of their identification is underway and many other illegal immigrants are likely to be detained, said a senior police official here on Tuesday.
These people reside in camps on the city’s outskirts, on roadsides near railway stations and bus stands as well as slums that have recently come up on deserted stretches in cities.
On Monday, 74 Rohingyas, including 55 men, 14 women and five minors, were taken into custody during a comprehensive drive carried out by UP’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to identify illegal immigrants staying in the state. The police registered cases against the detained Rohingyas in six districts of western UP, said Prashant Kumar, special DG.
Former UP DGP OP Singh said the process of identification and verification of Rohingyas was carried out aggressively after a circular issued by him to all district police chiefs on September 30, 2019.
At least 259 Rohingyas have been identified living in Lucknow and Mathura slums before September 2019. It was found that all of them had crossed the border illegally from Bangladesh into India.
The authorities also received information that a Muslim cleric was providing various kinds of training, including Urdu lessons, to children of Rohingyas, said an ATS official.
Police officials have been asked to send the verification report to the state government for deportation of illegal immigrants.
They will also collect fingerprints of the suspected illegal immigrants so that their district-wise centralised computerised data base could be prepared. Construction agencies operational in various districts, especially National Capital Region, where such illegal immigrants often work as labourers, should also be asked to collect the workers’ identity proofs before hiring them, said the official.
