These days ‘Rohingya’ is a catchword in Jammu city. Basically, Rohingyas are the Muslim refugees from Myanmar who after facing life threats from the government in their own country started coming to India in 2008. You all must have noticed how in the past few weeks a lot of individuals associated with political parties and social organizations of Jammu are regularly taking up the Rohingya issue as a matter of illegal settlements. Some of these illegal refugees started settling in J&K after 2012 and in the last half a decade, Jammu has witnessed tremendous rise in their numbers. These illegal refugees are now estimated to be thousands. This whole controversy is gaining ground in Jammu after a rise in the number of these illegal refugees in the form of Rohingaya and Bangladeshi nationals. The propagation of this issue on a daily basis has inculcated a fear psychosis of ‘Rohingya’ among Jammuites. Few weeks back I even witnessed billboards in some portions of the city by a regional political party leader demanding Jammuites to wake up and fight for eviction of these Rohingaya and Bangladeshi refugees from Jammu. Interestingly, adding fire to this whole controversy is the fact that all these illegal refugees are settling only in Jammu and Samba districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Now questions are raised as to why they don’t settle in any area of Kashmir province? I got a motivating reply to this question from one friend of my father in Kashmir while discussing this matter with him. He told me, it’s simple because the Kashmiri Muslims themselves are leaving Kashmir and settling down in Jammu in order to find peace. This statement appeared convincing as sense of fear is so high among ordinary Kashmiri Muslim families that many among them had already left Kashmir along with their families to settle in Jammu. So I think in this prevailing situation of turmoil in Kashmir how can an outsider go and settle there.
The presence of these illegal refugees has created a security threat in a sensitive state like Jammu and Kashmir which has been facing militancy for more than two decades. These illegal refugees now are even getting involved in criminal activities as it was clearly stated by CM Mehbooba Mufti in J&K Assembly that 17 FIR’s have been registered against 38 Rohingayas for various offences. The intelligence inputs also highlight that these people have also started acting as drug peddlers in Jammu. For this entire security threat caused by these illegal refugees I believe that both, the previous government as well as the present regime is liable. It is not that nobody knew of these illegal refugees 5 years back but none of the political parties protested at that time. It is only currently that this issue is raised by some and ignored by some, simply because of their political conveniences. This issue has suddenly gained momentum in 2017 as a few days back during a raid at one of Rohingya colonies these illegal refugees were found in possession of documents like aadhar cards, ration cards and state subject papers. Generally, in routine affairs we all residents of Jammu and Kashmir face a lot of difficulties to get all such documents. This incident has highlighted that somewhere these people are being facilitated in a very silent manner by some people within the system. Moreover, with this incident coming into light some people in Jammu have been successful in causing fear among Jammuites that this all is leading to ‘Islamization of Jammu’.
This suspicion could be right but let’s not simply give in to this propaganda by few. I request all to prefer to think in other ways also. For this we all should not overlook the reality as to how some people in Jammu in past some years are continuously selling their lands to people of Muslim community who are coming to Jammu from other parts of J&K and have built a second home here. If we are so much spirited to the idea of ‘Islamization of Jammu’ then let's first forget our monetary benefits and stop this so-called ‘Islamization of Jammu’ which is born also and not only because of these illegal refugees. Let those people who are threatening to ‘identify and kill’ these illegal refugees first start a campaign that no Jammuite should ever sell his or her property to Muslims. Why I am writing in this way is because I want people to keep this in mind that there is every possibility that people who are propagating this issue as ‘Islamization of Jammu’ on societal level could be engineering it purely for their self interest by adding religious colour to this illegal refugee problem.
Now in past some days, I believe this issue has started taking religious colour, as after two fire incidents in Rohingaya shelters at Narwal and Bhagwati Nagar and later following an attack on Rohingaya refugee in Tallab Tillo area, some people in Khatika Talab (locality with Muslim population in old Jammu City) came out and raised slogans in favour of these illegal refugees. Many people of both communities didn’t like this act and even condemned it but this fact cannot be denied as it gave symptoms of the fading social fabric of Jammu. Let’s keep Jammu, which has been a centre of peace and stability for the past many decades, convinced that it is not us who have to find the solution to this problem. I think it’s the responsibility of the present government to ensure that this mounting hatred in Jammu against illegal refugees is lowered. It reminds me of the statement of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he said he will work for all those who voted for him and even for those who did not. So I want to remind our Prime Minister that Jammu has wholeheartedly supported you and it's time you act to save them from this emerging crisis.
