After Union Minister’s tweet, Home Ministry says NO EWS flats given to Rohingya Muslims in Delhi

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday made it clear that it had not given any directions to provide flats to Rohingya Muslims in Delhi and asked the Arvind Kejriwal government to ensure the illegal foreigners remained at their present location. The MHA also said the Rohingya illegal foreigners are to be kept in detention centres until their deportation as per the law and the Delhi government has been directed to declare the current site of their stay as detention centre.

“With respect to news reports in certain sections of media regarding Rohingya illegal foreigners, it is clarified that the MHA has not given any directions to provide EWS flats to Rohingya illegal migrants at Bakkarwala in New Delhi,” a ministry spokesperson said.

According to an estimate of the Home Ministry, around 40,000 Rohingya migrants live in different parts of the country, including Delhi.

Noting that the Delhi government proposed to shift the Rohingya Muslims to a new location, the Home Ministry said it has directed the Delhi government to ensure that the Rohingya illegal foreigners remain at their present location as it has already taken up the matter of their deportation with the country concerned through the Ministry of External Affairs.

“The illegal foreigners are to be kept in the detention centre till their deportation as per law. The government of Delhi has not declared the present location as a detention centre. They have been directed to do the same immediately,” the spokesperson said.

Earlier in the day, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said Rohingya refugees will be shifted to apartments in Bakkarwala in outer Delhi and will also be provided basic amenities and police protection.