India has been accused of forcing Rohingya refugees into the sea after detaining them in Delhi, according to a BBC investigative report published on Friday.
Survivors told BBC that registered Rohingya refugees, who were under the protection of the UN refugee agency, were rounded up in groups and put on naval ships before being cast adrift in the Andaman Sea.
The BBC team traced some of the survivors three months later in southwestern Myanmar, where they had taken shelter under an armed rebel group called the Ba Htu Army (BHA).
One survivor, Syed Noor, said he fled to India to escape Myanmar’s civil war and registered at the UN refugee camp in Delhi, where the Indian government also issued refugee identity cards.
On 6 May, however, 40 UNHCR cardholders were summoned to local police stations for “biometric updates,” but were instead detained at Inderlok Detention Centre. The next day, they were flown to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and later transferred to a naval vessel.
Another refugee, Mohammad Sajjad, recounted how their hands were tied with plastic ropes and their faces covered before being put on the ship. He said they were beaten whenever they asked about their destination.
Survivors alleged they were interrogated about their religious identity and then abandoned in boats near the Myanmar coast. “Is this what humanity means, throwing people into the sea?” said another survivor, Amin.
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar Tom Andrews said he had credible evidence of India’s role in pushing Rohingya refugees into the sea and had already presented the findings to India’s mission in Geneva, but received no response.
The BBC report said India’s Ministry of External Affairs also declined to answer repeated queries on the matter.
India’s Supreme Court is expected to deliver a ruling on 29 September regarding whether Rohingyas in India will be recognised as “refugees” or treated as “illegal immigrants” subject to deportation.
UN human rights workers have warned that Rohingyas in India remain in a highly vulnerable situation. While UNHCR records list 23,800 Rohingyas in India, Human Rights Watch estimates the real number exceeds 40,000.