Minister's Rohingya Tweet Triggers Delhi vs Centre Fight Over Refugees
NDTV
The Delhi government accused the centre of "secretly" trying to give "permanent residence" to Rohingya refugees in the national capital.
Hours after Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri's tweets announcing homes and security for Rohingya refugees from Myanmar were contradicted by his own government, they set the stage for a new clash between the centre and the Delhi government on Wednesday.
While the Delhi government accused the centre of "secretly" trying to give "permanent residence" to Rohingya refugees in the national capital, the Union Home Ministry accused the AAP administration of dragging its feet on declaring the locality where they live a "detention centre".
According to sources in the Home Ministry, most of the Rohingya refugees in Delhi are living at the Kanchan Kunj locality in Madanpur Khadar. The centre wants this to be declared a detention centre so that movement of Rohingyas can be tracked. The colony houses about 250 families with as many as 1,100 residents.
"As of now, they move around freely and sometimes some go missing but if this locality is declared a detention centre, it would be easier for law enforcement agencies also to keep a tab on them," a senior official from the Home Ministry said.
