Rohingyas: India says it will try to sort out matter through consultations with neighbours

NEW DELHI: India is in touch with its neighbours to resolve the issue involving 31 Rohingya Muslims who were detained on the India-Bangladesh border, officials said.

"Government is aware of the presence of 31 persons originally from Rakhine state in Myanmar," external affairs ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Kumar said India will try to sort out the matter through mutual consultations with the neighbouring countries concerned.

"While their documentation and claims are being examined, necessary shelter, food and material are being provided to them by the forces," he said.

According to security officials, the Rohingyas were handed over to Tripura police by the BSF on Tuesday after they were stranded on the border for three days.

They said the Rohingyas were detained by the Border Security Force (BSF) while attempting to cross over into Tripura. Those held include include six men, nine women and 16 children.

The Rohingyas were stuck in no-man's land, beyond the barbed wire fence along border in Tripura since Friday last, with the Border Security Force (BSF) and its counterpart -- Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) -- accusing each other of pushing them into their territories.

However, as talks between BGB and BSF failed to resolve the issue, the BSF handed over the 31 Rohingyas to the staff of the Amtoli police station in West Tripura district police after the Union home ministry's nod, the security officials said.

"Government is aware of media reports of alleged movement into Bangladesh by some such persons. Government is not a party to such movements. We will work with our neighbours to handle such matters through mutual consultation," Kumar said.

Thousands of Rohingya Muslims, described by the UN as the most persecuted minority in the world, fled their homes last year to escape an alleged crackdown by the Myanmarese military. Several lakhs of them live in Bangladesh as refugees.