In today’s India, there appears to be no place for Rohingya refugees, one of the most vulnerable, disenfranchised, and stateless groups in the world. Long derided as “illegal foreigners” by the BJP regime, they have now been branded “intruders” by the country’s highest court. On December 2, a two-judge Supreme Court Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant made a series of shocking oral remarks about the Rohingya. The case arose in a habeas corpus petition filed by renowned academic and activist Rita Manchanda regarding the unexplained “custodial disappearance” of five Rohingya last held by the Delhi Police. From reportedly calling them “illegal intruders” who allegedly entered by “digging a tunnel” and “cutting the fence” to asking “what is the problem in sending them back” if the Centre has not declared them “refugees”, the bench was unsparing in its comments. It wondered whether the Rohingya deserve “a red-carpet welcome” when........

© Indian Express