By Hilal Mir
SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir
Revenue authorities in the Indian-administered Kashmir have ordered that power and water supply for 409 Rohingya refugee families be cut off as part of an ongoing crackdown aimed at eventually deporting them back to their troubled homeland in Myanmar.
A revenue document in the possession of Anadolu outlines the private properties and the number of refugee families living in the Bahu area of the Jammu province, where hostility toward Rohingyas, particularly from India’s ruling Hindu right-wing groups, is strongly felt.
The document reveals that water and power connections are registered under the names of the local property owners. The authorities have identified seven clusters where the water and power supplies will be disconnected.
Mohammad (his last name withheld at his request, as he fears reprisals) spoke to Anadolu over the phone and shared his worries: “Our electricity and water supply is intact yet but all of us fear that it can go anytime because another Rohingya cluster nearby has been deprived of both. Our hearts are already broken because we have been driven out of our homeland. We can only request authorities to spare us. Otherwise, except for Allah we have no savior.”
He went on to explain that some officials had recently visited their cluster in Dongiyan and warned the landlord of legal consequences if they continued to host Rohingyas.
“We pay Rs 1,500-2,500 to the landlord as rent and also pay for electricity. But if the landlord feels harassed, why would he keep us? Children are already asking where would we go if we are driven out,” said Mohammad, a father of three children.
Reports from the media have indicated that, in the past two weeks, police have filed cases against people who have rented out their properties to Rohingyas. According to Rohingya community leaders who spoke on the condition of anonymity, nearly 5,000-6,000 Rohingya refugees have been living in approximately 40 clusters in the Jammu region.
This story was originally published in aa.com. Read the full story here.