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Leaders of Hindu right-wing organisations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have launched a campaign against Rohingya refugees living in India. The push appears to be a reaction to the reported killing of Hindus in Bangladesh, an incident that rightly deserves condemnation from anyone who believes in justice. However, targeting Rohingya refugees in India for events taking place in another country is unfair, misplaced and clearly political. Violence against Hindus or any religious minorities anywhere in South Asia must be condemned.

The Rohingya community in India did not migrate from Bangladesh but fled Myanmar after years of systematic persecution and violence by the state and extremist groups. A Muslim ethnic identity group who lived in Myanmar for many generations but were denied citizenship, they are considered the world’s largest stateless population. Most of them arrived with almost nothing and depended on humanitarian assistance from organisations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for basic survival.

In India, their Muslim identity has often made them targets of suspicion from right-wing groups. Yet their settlements are already under close surveillance by state agencies, including intelligence wings, and if genuine security concerns exist, the State has sufficient legal powers to act.

A recent meeting in Balapur, Hyderabad, organised by the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi along with the VHP and other right-wing organisations, was held close to refugee camps, making the political intent difficult to ignore. The organisers promoted the slogan “Chalo Balapur” to generate local outrage. As per the UNHCR, there are around 7,000 refugees under the Balapur Police Station limits, and a total of 9,000 refugees in Hyderabad.

Logically, if the protest was about developments in Bangladesh, the slogan should have been “Chalo Delhi”, since diplomatic action lies with the Union government. If atrocities are taking place in Bangladesh, the government can condemn them, issue demarches, or use diplomatic channels. Yet right-wing organisations rarely direct such demands at the Prime Minister or the Home Minister. Instead, they target Rohingyas because they are vulnerable and lack........

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