A day after more than 150 illegal immigrants from Myanmar were shifted to a “holding centre” in Hiranagar hundreds of panic stricken Rohingyas vacated their temporary dwellings in Kiryani talab area of Bhatindi and adjoining areas to escape police crackdown on Sunday.
Questioning the police action against them some of the senior members of the community also alleged that they were being targeted in the election season because they belong to the 'Muslim' community.
Meanwhile, the common markets where the majority of Rohingyas had set shops and run their small business units wore a deserted look in the area. Jawans of para military forces were deployed in and around their dwellings to maintain a strict vigil.
Kiryani talab area remained the focal point during the day.
Large number of these Rohingyas had converged there to chalk out future course of action in the wake of a strict action against them.
Mohd Zubair told The Pioneer, initially we had no clue where members of the Rohingya community were shifted.Late in the night we came to know through different news platforms that police had shifted them to Hiranagar in Kathua. He said, “family members of Rohingyas spent the long night waiting for their relatives to return home”. In the absence of any concrete information about the whereabouts of their relatives, the majority of these Rohingyas were gripped with fear and not willing to go before the policemen.
According to local residents in the area the police had directed them to report at MA stadium around 11.a.m for carrying out verification of their documents and UNHRC cards.
Instead of visiting MA stadium, a large number of these immigrants from Myanmar, accompanied by their family members, stepped out with 'bags and baggage' and started marching towards 'Mecca Masjid' located in Bhatindi.
As they were marching through the streets local policemen on duty tried their level best to convince them to return to their dwellings. These Rohingyas spent the major part of the day occupying lanes and bylanes in the area. Late evening they were directed to return to their plots and were also given a deadline of atleast four days to sort out their issues at work including pending payments.
Meanwhile, some of the senior members of the Rohingya community also appealed to the Government of India to give them some time to settle their payment issues at work before shifting them to any other place. They also appealed to the centre govt not to penalise all of them for fault of few among them involved in wrong doings.