Rohingya Refugee Crisis and Status of Refugees in India: A Critical Analysis

Rohingya Muslims are one of the most persecuted minorities and the world’s largest ‘stateless’ population. The Rohingya community have suffered mass brutality, systematic discrimination, and targeted violence at the hand of Myanmar military and Buddhist extremists. Most of the ones to face extreme violence by the Myanmar authorities are innocent women and children, many women have faced assault violence by the army. The Rohingya Refugee crisis is nothing new, ever since the military came to power in Myanmar in the 1970s, the Rohingyas have suffered very systematic violence and oppression in the state and the community exodus to neighbouring countries has become a very recurring occurrence. Following the crackdown by the military in response to Rohingya Arsa militant’s attack on the police posts, in 2017 the wave of new Rohingya refugees left the Rakhine state of Myanmar and started an influx of refugees in the neighbouring state of Bangladesh, some of whom have crossed the borders of India. Many Rohingya refugees have travelled to India for shelter and have settled here as refugees. India has not enacted any dedicated law for refugees and is not a signatory of the 1951 UN Convention or any Protocol which relates to the status of refugees. The paper highlights laws relating to refugees in India and the status of refugees in India about Rohingyas. The paper dwells on international refugee law, Principles, conventions, Protocols, etc. and India’s position on international refugee law. Overall, the paper seeks to contribute to the understanding of the Rohingya refugee crisis in the context of refugee status in India.