Not refugees, Rajnath Singh calls Rohingyas illegal immigrants

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has declared Rohingyas as illegal immigrants stating that they have not followed any legal procedure to be called refugees.

The Home Minister on Thursday said "Rohingyas, who have entered India after fleeing Myanmar, were not refugees but illegal immigrants who need to be sent back."

"We need to understand the reality that Rohingyas from Myanmar who have entered India are not refugees. In order to get the refugee status, one needs to follow a process. None among them has followed that procedure," Rajnath Singh further said, addressing the 'National Seminar on Good Governance, Development and Human Rights' here.

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Some 40,000 Rohingya Muslims have taken refuge in India and reside in Jammu and Hyderabad.

The Home Ministry on Monday submitted its affidavit in the Supreme Court on the deportation of Rohingyas to Myanmar, calling them a "security threat to India". The court will hear the issue on October 3.