Rohingya refugees living in India are crossing over to Bangladesh, with as many as 800 refugees are said to have illegally crossed the border over to Bangladesh in the past few weeks while around 3000 are still waiting in different groups in West Bengal, an eastern Indian state which shares a long border with Bangladesh.

Significantly, this comes amid a growing crackdown, including detention and arrests, by authorities in India on Rohingya refugees in several states in recent months. Over 3000 refugees, believed to be camping in Kolkata in groups, are waiting to cross the border with the help of migrant smugglers. 

Bangladesh, which is already hosting over a million Rohingyas who fled Myanmar after a brutal crackdown by the military in 2017, has expressed concern over the trend.

Last week, as many as 29 Rohingyas, mostly women and children, were arrested by Bangladeshi law enforcement officials, from districts near Cox’s Bazaar, the largest settlement housing Rohingyas refugees.

“Unfortunately, many Rohingyas are coming to Bangladesh from India,” Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune. He added that it was “a matter of concern” for them as those Rohingyas went to India in 2012.

Questioning of the refugees revealed that they were conveyed by their relatives, who are already living in refugee camps in Cox Bazar, about better living conditions and free food in these camps in Bangladesh. 

“As a result, they (Rohingyas) are getting into Bangladesh in groups,” Momen said, adding, “We have to engage more security forces to stop them.”

(SAM)