An assessment by the Union home ministry has said that of the 40,000 Rohingya Muslims living illegally in India, about 10,000 are in Jammu and Kashmir and may create a problem in the volatile state.
Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi on Monday discussed the threat with Jammu and Kashmir police chief SP Vaid, Border Security Force (BSF) chief KK Sharma and other senior officials of the Intelligence Bureau.
“The government has decided to give a push to the identification process of Rohingya Muslims and if possible, deport them. If deportation is not possible, at least we should know where they are so that their activities can be checked. Given their vulnerability to radicalisation, they are being considered a potential security threat,” said a senior home ministry official.
The official said so far, the ministry has not received any report with regard to the involvement of Rohingya Muslims in terror-related activities. However, there are intelligence reports to suggest that Pakistan-based terror outfits may try to exploit them, he added.