India calls Rohingya a security threat

NEW DELHI: The Indian government told the country’s top court on Monday that the Muslim Rohingya who have fled Myanmar are a serious security threat as it sought to justify moves to deport up to 40,000 of the refugees.

Mukesh Mittal, a senior home ministry official, said the Supreme Court must let the government to take a decision in Indian interests because of Rohingya links to extremist groups. The case is being heard as Bangladesh struggles with more than 410,000 Rohingya who have flooded across the border since August 25 when the military in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim group.

Countries across the region fear they will feel the fallout from the crisis. "Some of the Rohingyas with militant background are also found to be very active in Jammu, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mewat and have been identified as having a very serious and potential threat to the national security of India," Mittal said in a written submission to the Supreme Court. —