West Bengal slightly friendly towards Rohingyas: BSF DG Sharma

As India grapples with Rohingya influx in its eastern border,  BSF Director General (DG) K K Sharma said the West Bengal government is  "slightly friendly" to the Rohingyas and has set up special camps for about 70 such families.

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India has been trying to ensure that Rohingyas don not illegally cross over to India from Bangladesh. Last month Union home minister Rajnath Singh had said his ministry had issued orders to all states that no Rohingya should possess Indian documents.

BSF chief who has been given the task of keeping the Rohingya refugee crisis in control, said: "We are alive to the situation. We are aware that a large number of Rohingyas are assembled in Bangladesh and from time-to-time some small groups did try to enter India, but I am very happy to say that we did not let them succeed."

"So, there has not been any large-scale influx of Rohingyas into India. Whatever Rohingyas are already there in the country... In fact, they are also under pressure at some places so they are going to West Bengal, a state which is slightly friendly with them."

Minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju had cited the Foreigners` Act, 1946 and asserted that the government has the power to "identify, detect and deport any illegal foreign national staying in the country." Rijiju had added that Rohingyas had illegally entered the country.

BSF DG Sharma said that West Bengal had set up camps for Rohingyas coming from within the country and not from Bangladesh, adding that he had checked and that there were at least 70 families who had come from various places within India. 

Rijiju had earlier said Rohingyas were staying in the Jammu city and Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Jaipur.

Sharma said he was happy at the way BSF had successfully contained the influx of Rohingyas, adding that it had not allowed any intusion so far. "This has also been verified by our sister security agencies," Sharma asserted.

"Our security forces are very much alert and as we detect them, we get them back to our camps again. We are very keen on keeping them in the designated camps," the BSF chief said.     

He said any decision on the this subject is the prerogative of the Bangladeshi government.

"This (Rohingyas movement from Myanmar) is not migration. They have been forcibly displaced. This is a political decision and at the political level, the Bangladesh government is trying to resolve the problem with help of the international community," Sharm said,  he however added that the BSF had not come across any specific case where the Rohingya refugees were caught possessing arms, ammunition or had any terror connection.