Muslims Entering India Are Not “Refugees", Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy Remarks

Agartala: On the sparking concerns over the Assam’s NRC final draft status, excluding 40 lakhs people, several political leaders of the country have tweeted their comments across the nations. Massive uproars were also witnessed in Parliament calling them as ‘Refugees.’

Following this, oppositions had allegedly charged that the release of Assam NRC final draft is totally based on vote politics by the NDA-led Government and trying to do a “divide and rule’ policy.

Another statement by Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party Legislator Raja Singh yesterday calling “Rohingyas and Bangladeshi Illegal Immigrants” as refugees and asked them to leave India, If they fail, they should be shot and eliminated, taking it into a controversial arena Indian Democracy.

Following this, Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy said, “Muslims entering India are not Refugees. They flee from their country because of genuine persecution of religion, ethnicity and political beliefs. They infiltrate to another country in search of employment or economic developments are not refugees.”

Roy also advised that the people through the definition of the term “refugee” as defined in United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

He added, any person crossing from his origin Country to another is not a refugee.UNHCR, also defines, “Indian government which for some reason, have not formally accepted the Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists fleeing Bangladesh and Pakistan are refugees”

Nevertheless, prior to the Release of NRC Final Assam, Union Home Minister reiterated that is no need to be panic if any names go missing in the final draft.

Those who have been left out can file a claim or objection to their exclusion. But later Union Minister said, “The security of India can’t be compromised and that all illegal immigrants will be deported. In this regard, all states have been issued an advisory.”

The National Register of Citizen (NRC) contains names of Indian Citizens of Assam. The NRC was prepared in 1951, after the 1951 Census of India. The updated NRC of 2014-2016 across Assam includes the name of those persons (or their descendants) that appears in the NRC 1951, or in any of the electoral rolls up to the midnight of 24 March 1971.which will prove their presence in Assam on or before 24 March 1971.