In a significant development, the Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a thorough search operation in the Rohingya colony situated in the Bathindi area of Jammu on Tuesday, December 19. The operation, which involved a meticulous house-to-house search, resulted in the discovery of a cache of illegally obtained documents.
Among the confiscated items were PAN cards, Aadhaar cards, and various bank documents, alongside other incriminating materials. In response to the findings, three First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered against ten individuals, including Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals, as well as their facilitators. The charges revolve around the illegal procurement of Indian identity documents such as Domicile Certificates and Aadhaar Cards, coupled with their unlawful stay in the Doda district.
Shakti Pathak, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Jammu, addressed the media on the ongoing investigation. He stated that the police are currently examining the nature of the documents possessed by the Rohingya settlers and identifying those who assisted them in obtaining these documents. “Investigation is underway,” said DIG Pathak.
Providing further details about the searches conducted in Jammu city, DIG Pathak emphasized the involvement of different places where locals have reportedly provided plots to individuals from outside the region. The police are actively investigating the facilitators responsible for aiding these individuals in accessing various benefits offered by the Indian government.
Highlighting the extensive scope of the operation, DIG Pathak mentioned the participation of seven police stations in the ongoing searches, which extend to approximately 29-30 locations across Jammu. As the investigation unfolds, authorities are committed to unraveling the network behind the illegal document racket and ensuring legal action against those involved.
According to recent reports, seven First Information Reports (FIRs) have been filed at various police stations in Jammu against individuals suspected of providing shelter and government benefits to Rohingyas.
#WATCH | Jammu: Checking of documents by Jammu & Kashmir Police at the Rohingya colony in Bathindi area of Jammu. pic.twitter.com/To1aKQoPc1
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
The FIRs were registered in multiple locations, including Satwari, Trikuta Nagar, Bagh-e-Bahu, Channi Himmat, Nowabad, Domana, and Nagrota, following comprehensive searches conducted by law enforcement authorities.
Officials, as cited in the reports, indicated that magistrates were present during the searches at locations where Rohingyas reside and also at the residences of their alleged facilitators.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the police disclosed that multiple FIRs had been filed at different police stations against individuals accused of offering shelter to Rohingyas. The release stated, “Today, action was initiated against all those who have been facilitators in providing shelter and availing government benefits to the non-citizens of the country, Rohingyas.”
According to the press release, the FIRs have been lodged at the following police stations with corresponding FIR numbers: P/S Satwari FIR no.270, P/S Trikuta Nagar FIR no. 352, P/S Bagh-e-Bahu FIR no.107, P/S Channi Himmat FIR no.184, P/S Nowabad FIR no.191, P/S Domana FIR no.370, P/S Nagrota FIR no.527.
“In these FIRs, individuals have been identified and accused of providing shelter to foreign nationals (Rohingyas) outside the nation,” it stated.
#WATCH | J&K: Shakti Pathak, DIG Jammu says, “…We are checking the documents & who helped them in providing those documents. Investigation is underway.” https://t.co/7Eah0U3u8L pic.twitter.com/yB3EoXnOnm
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
According to reports, on Monday, December 18, the police filed a case against Rohingyas in the Kishtwar district after discovering illegally obtained documents, including Aadhaar cards.
The case was registered at Dachhan police station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of important documents), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document).
In November, five individuals, including a Rohingya man, were apprehended in connection with a case of alleged human trafficking in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, as per police reports. The accused were involved in trafficking Rohingya women through Bangladesh, arranging “marriages” with locals in the Union Territory in exchange for money.
These arrests followed the dismantling of a human trafficking network two days earlier.
Three FIRs have been registered against ten foreigners (Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals and their facilitators for illegally procuring Indian identity documents like Domicile Certificates, Aadhaar Cards and illegally staying in Doda district: Jammu & Kashmir Police
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
In July of the same year, Rohingyas housed at the Holding Center in Hiranagar town of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir engaged in violence, pelting stones at the police.
During the clashes, several individuals, including police officials, sustained injuries. Senior police officials explained that the conflict erupted when the police intervened to rescue the center’s in-charge and two staff members held captive by Rohingyas. Approximately six officers were injured in the stone-pelting by the Rohingya detainees.
