Jammu: A BJP MLA in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday called for immediate deportation of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals residing in the Jammu region, labelling them as “security threats” having the potential to engineer “demographic changes” in Jammu city.
More than 13,700 foreigners, including Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals, are settled in Jammu and Samba districts, with their population growing by more than 6,000 between 2008 and 2016, according to government data.
“We have called upon the authorities for the deportation of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis to save Jammu. There is serious concern over the threats posed by the uncontrolled mushrooming of their population, which is threatening to cause demographic changes in Jammu,” Vikram Randhawa, the BJP MLA from Bahu Assembly constituency in Jammu, told reporters here.
He also questioned the concentration of such people in Jammu, suggesting a “conspiracy” to change the demography of the region.
Comparing Bangladeshis and Rohingyas to “termites”, Randhawa said their “infestation” has engulfed the entire Jammu region and even his Assembly constituency Bahu is facing the heat.
Labelling the foreign nationals as “security threats” as they live close to some vital installations in Jammu, Randhawa accused them of conducting recce in these areas and then committing thefts in the identified houses.
He also called for increasing manpower in the local police posts to check “untoward incidents” in the region.
“I shared this security threat with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who assured action after expressing concern,” Randhawa said, adding that “they pose a threat to our children”.
“A few families of Rohingyas have grown into thousands over the years. Many of them, who were born in Jammu, have gained admission into schools.
“The mushrooming of their population and access to vital services raises many concerns among the local population, as they pose security threats and can trigger demographic changes in Jammu,” Randhawa claimed.
“We have been protesting against this menace at every forum — on the roads and through the ‘Jammu Bachao Andolan’. Many Bangladeshis and Rohingyas were arrested but their numbers are still multiplying, which suggests that they should be deported to their original habitats,” Randhawa said.
The BJP leader also cautioned against those who provide “safe havens” to the Bangladeshis and Rohingyas on their plots.
“They are feeding off the resources of the people of Jammu — be it power, water or ration,” he claimed.
The BJP leader also claimed that some people have even settled Rohingyas in ‘jhuggis’ raised on state land and are collecting rent from these “illegal settlers”.
Giving a call to snap electricity and water supply to these illegal settlements, Randhawa said, “Those giving shelter to such people should be identified and dealt with with an iron hand.”
He also urged the divisional commissioner, deputy commissioner, and sub-divisional magistrate to identify these plots and their owners, verify their revenue records, check the rent agreements, and make the guilty pay for their actions.
“During the ‘Jammu Bachao Andolan’, we found Aadhaar cards and ration cards in these settlements, which were submitted to the administration,” the BJP MLA claimed.
He also accused the administration of negligence, claiming that Bangladeshis and Rohingyas have been found involved in drugs trade, thefts, and human trafficking in the region.
