India: Scores of Rohingya Refugees Expelled

Hundreds More Arbitrarily Detained, Threatened with Deportation

Photo: HRW

Arakan Now | 29 August 2025

Indian authorities have expelled scores of ethnic Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh and Myanmar without rights protections since May 2025, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said today. Authorities have also arbitrarily detained several hundred more, mistreating some of them.

In May, states in India governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) initiated a campaign to expel Rohingya and Bengali-speaking Muslims for being “illegal immigrants.” Those expelled to Bangladesh included at least 192 Rohingya refugees registered with the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR). Others were forced onto a ship and abandoned near Myanmar’s coast, compelled to swim ashore. Dozens more have fled to Bangladesh to avoid the crackdown.

“The Indian government’s expulsion of Rohingya refugees shows an utter disregard for human life and international law,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The actions taken against these refugees, who have fled atrocities and persecution in Myanmar, reflect the ruling BJP’s policy to demonize Muslims as ‘illegal’ migrants.”

Testimonies of AbuseHRW interviewed Rohingya refugees who described assaults, confiscation of property, arbitrary detention, and forced deportations. Many said police beat them, seized their phones and money, and ignored UNHCR registration documents.

One Rohingya woman detained in Assam said Border Security Force officials forced her family into Bangladesh at gunpoint. Another group of 40 refugees, including women, were flown to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and then abandoned at sea near Myanmar, forced to swim ashore.

Others fleeing India reported brutal mistreatment by police and border forces, including beatings of women and children. Refugees said they were coerced into making false video statements declaring themselves to be Bangladeshis.

Legal and Human Rights Concerns

India hosts an estimated 40,000 Rohingya, about half registered with UNHCR. Although not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol, India is bound by the international law principle of nonrefoulement, which prohibits expelling people to places where they face serious threats.

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar has raised concerns about arbitrary detention, mistreatment, and expulsions of Rohingya from India. India’s Supreme Court is set to decide in September whether Rohingya are “refugees” or “illegal entrants.”

Call to ActionHuman Rights Watch urged India to immediately end intimidation, arbitrary detention, and unlawful expulsions of Rohingya refugees, and to investigate allegations of abuse.

“Indian authorities should recognize Rohingya as refugees and work with the UN refugee agency to protect their rights,” Pearson said.

Source: Human Rights Watch