India Accused of Forcibly Deporting Rohingya into War Zone

UNHCR, Christophe Archambault, archives

Allegations have surfaced that Indian authorities forcibly deported 40 Rohingya refugees into Myanmar’s conflict-ridden territory, with survivors describing their ordeal as a “captivity” that ended with them being cast into the sea.

According to a BBC investigation published Friday, the refugees—some registered with the UNHCR—were taken from Delhi under the guise of biometric checks in early May. They were then flown to the Andaman Islands, boarded onto a naval vessel, and eventually forced into the Andaman Sea with life jackets before swimming ashore in Myanmar.

“We were bound, blindfolded, and treated like captives,” said one refugee, John, in a phone call to his brother. “Then they threw us in the sea.”

The group is now sheltering with the Ba Htoo Army, a resistance force fighting Myanmar’s junta, which seized power in 2021. “This place is a complete war zone,” said Soyed Noor, speaking to the BBC from a wooden shelter in Myanmar.

The deportees include both Muslim and Christian Rohingya, a stateless minority long persecuted in Myanmar. India does not officially recognise Rohingya as refugees, instead classifying them as illegal immigrants under the Foreigners Act.

Thomas Andrews, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said there is “significant evidence” supporting the claims and has raised the issue with India’s mission in Geneva. No response has been received.

The BBC report details physical abuse aboard the naval vessel, including beatings and humiliating treatment. One refugee showed scars from being struck with a bamboo rod. Others were interrogated about their religion and falsely accused of links to militant attacks.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Navy have yet to comment.

With Myanmar engulfed in civil war and the Rohingya facing systemic persecution, campaigners say the deportation violates international humanitarian norms. For families like Noorul Amin’s, whose relatives were among those expelled, the future remains uncertain—and the pain, immeasurable.

-2025-08-29