Rajnath Singh asks state governments to identify Rohingyas, collect biometric data

Union Minister Rajanath Singh on Monday noted that state governments have been directed to identify Rohingyas and carry out biometrics, news agency ANI reported. 

The state governments will also need to submit a report with the Centre on the same after which the government will take appropriate measures with the government of Myanmar to get the issue resolved, Singh further added. 

"States have been told to identify them (Rohingyas). They have to take their biometrics also. After that, they'll send a report to the Centre. Then the Central government will initiate action through diplomatic channels with Myanmar and we will get it resolved," the Home Minister stated. 

The comments came during Singh's visit to Kolkata to chair the 23rd meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council.

The meeting was also attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her Jharkhand counterpart Raghubar Das and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi.

Singh's statement comes a day after the Railway Protection Force (RPF) alerted the Kerala authorities to watch out for the movement of Rohingya refugees in groups to Kerala and hand them over to police if they are found travelling on trains, ANI reported. 

More than 650,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar's Rakhine state in August 2017 after Myanmar's army launched a massive crackdown in its northern state. India and Bangladesh are known to have given shelter to a large number of Rohingya refugees. 

In June, the Home Ministry wrote a letter to the Jammu and Kashmir government, saying, "Such illegal migrations poses serious challenges and has security implications since some of the migrants have been found to have indulged in illegal activities and are vulnerable to radicalisation."