New Delhi : Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Vice President, Prof. Salim Engineer, has strongly condemned the recent deportation of 43 Rohingya refugees by Indian authorities, terming the act as inhumane and a blatant violation of constitutional and international humanitarian norms.
In a strongly worded statement issued to the media, Prof. Engineer expressed “grave concern” over reports that the deported Rohingya—comprising women, children, elderly, and infirm individuals—were blindfolded and bound before being transported from New Delhi to Port Blair. According to credible sources, they were later abandoned in international waters near Myanmar on May 8, under the false pretext of being relocated to a safe country. “This is not just cruel but a shameful deviation from India’s longstanding tradition of providing refuge to the persecuted,” he said.
Highlighting the legal and ethical implications, Prof. Engineer reminded the government that India is a signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture, which prohibits refoulement—returning individuals to places where they face serious threats to life or freedom. He further noted that the International Court of Justice has acknowledged the Rohingya as victims of genocide, making any such deportation a serious breach of international law.
“What makes this act even more alarming,” he added, “is that the deported refugees were documented by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Their identification as registered refugees should have offered them legal protection, but instead, they were treated as criminals and cast into the sea, their lives placed in grave danger.”
JIH has demanded an immediate halt to all forced deportations of Rohingya refugees and called for a thorough investigation into the alleged abuses. The organization also urged the judiciary to intervene and examine potential violations of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty.
The press statement was released by Salman Ahmad, National Assistant Secretary of the Media Department at Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Headquarters, New Delhi.
