Jammu, Dec 19 : Authorities in Jammu have initiated legal action by filing seven FIRs against individuals allegedly involved in offering shelter and government benefits to Rohingyas, as revealed by the police on Tuesday.
The FIRs were registered at various police stations, including Satwari, Trikuta Nagar, Bagh-e-Bahu, Channi Himmat, Nowabad, Domana, and Nagrota, following searches conducted at different locations in the Jammu district, according to a police spokesperson.
The accused in these FIRs are alleged to have provided shelter to foreign immigrants and assisted them in availing government benefits. The searches, conducted in the presence of magistrates, took place at locations where Rohingyas are accommodated and at the residential places of the facilitators, the spokesperson stated.
During the searches, illegally acquired Indian documents, such as PAN cards, Aadhaar cards, bank documents, and other incriminating materials, were seized. The spokesperson mentioned that the investigation into the matter has commenced, and further details will be shared in due course. Stringent action is promised against all such offenders in the future.
In a related incident, the police in Kishtwar district registered a case after the recovery of illegally obtained documents, including Aadhaar cards, during a crackdown against Rohingyas in the district. The case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of important documents), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) at the Dachhan police station.
Rohingyas, a Bengali-dialect speaking Muslim minority from Myanmar, entered India illegally through Bangladesh, seeking refuge in Jammu and other parts of the country due to persecution in their homeland. Government data indicates that over 13,700 foreigners, including Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi nationals, have settled in Jammu and other districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Their population has increased by over 6,000 between 2008 and 2016.
In March 2021, during a verification drive, police discovered over 250 Rohingyas, including women and children, living illegally in Jammu city. Subsequently, they were lodged in a holding center inside Sub-jail Kathua.
