(ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS) Indian authorities have forcibly expelled scores of Rohingya refugees in recent months, with several describing being blindfolded, flown to these islands, placed on a naval vessel, and pushed into the Andaman Sea near Myanmar’s coast. Rights groups say the operation, carried out in May 2025, violates international law and puts lives at immediate risk. UN officials, humanitarian agencies, and lawyers are urging India to halt deportations and account for those who were forced into the water.
Witness accounts collected by refugee advocates describe a stark sequence: detention in Delhi, transport by air to the islands, then transfer to a ship. Once in the Andaman Sea, guards allegedly gave life jackets and ordered the group—at least 40 Rohingya refugees—to jump and swim toward land under Myanmar’s control. Some reportedly reached shore and briefly called relatives using a fisherman’s phone. Their current condition is unknown.
At the same time, more than 100 Rohingya were removed from the Matia Transit Detention Centre in Assam and forced across the border into Bangladesh, according to international organizations and local groups. Rights monitors say the removals happened without any asylum review, legal counsel, or contact with the UN refugee agency.
UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews called the reported at-sea expulsions “outrageous” and demanded a full inquiry. He urged India to stop deportations and repatriations of Rohingya refugees, warning that returning people to danger violates the non-refoulement rule—the basic global standard that says no one should be sent back to a place where they face serious harm. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said the operations show an “utter disregard for human life and international law,” pointing to a wider pattern of arbitrary detention and forced return.
Escalation since May: at-sea pushbacks and overland removals
According to rights groups and refugee advocates, expulsions accelerated after early May. In BJP-governed states, police and local officials stepped up detentions of Rohingya and Bengali-speaking Muslims, often describing them as “illegal immigrants.”
- At least 192 Rohingya refugees registered with UNHCR were expelled to Bangladesh in May alone.
- Several hundred more were detained or mistreated, according to civil society reports.
Two Rohingya men petitioned India’s Supreme Court on May 17, 2025, seeking to halt deportations, but the Court dismissed the plea, questioning the timing and credibility during the India-Pakistan conflict. Lawyers involved say the ruling left thousands—adults and children—exposed to removal without a chance to seek protection or speak with UNHCR.
The legal vacuum for Rohingya in India is long-standing. The government is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, and non-refoulement does not appear in domestic law. Officials classify Rohingya as “illegal immigrants” and say deportation is a legal tool to protect national security. Rights organizations dispute claims of broad security threats, arguing that collective removals without process punish families, split communities, and push people into danger.
UNHCR and other agencies say the expulsions are especially dangerous now. In May 2025, two boats carrying Rohingya refugees sank off Myanmar’s coast, with an estimated 427 deaths. Advocates say forcing people into the sea—especially in smaller groups without navigation support—adds to that risk. Survivors of earlier sea journeys describe hunger, thirst, and violence from traffickers. Families told local NGOs they lost contact with relatives soon after the reported pushbacks near Myanmar.
The human cost and the legal stakes
The Rohingya, a Muslim minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, have faced decades of persecution and repeated waves of violence. Since 2017, nearly one million have lived in crowded camps in Bangladesh. Inside Myanmar, conditions remain unsafe due to ongoing conflict and targeted abuses.
Advocates say any forced return to Myanmar—or measures that make people cross by sea toward Myanmar territory—exposes them to arrest, attacks, or worse.
Key figures in India:
– 22,500 registered Rohingya refugees (UNHCR recorded, late 2024)
– Total Rohingya population in India (documented and undocumented): estimated near 40,000
Many Rohingya live in Delhi and nearby states in makeshift housing. Some hold UNHCR identification, but these papers do not guarantee protection from detention or removal under Indian law.
Expelled refugees have reported:
– Beatings and confiscation of phones and money
– Pressure to sign documents they could not read
– Lack of information about where relatives were being held or taken
Lawyers and NGOs argue these actions deny access to legal remedies—a core part of fair process. UN officials add that pushing people into the sea, even with life jackets, may amount to inhuman treatment.
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the lack of a national asylum framework in India leaves Rohingya refugees at the mercy of ad hoc decisions by local and central authorities. Police can treat refugees like any other undocumented foreign national, applying criminal or immigration penalties instead of assessing protection claims.
Government officials argue that India has the right to secure its borders and remove people who enter or stay without permission. They cite concerns about trafficking, identity fraud, and possible links to armed groups. Rights experts respond that targeted investigations are lawful, but mass removals without review violate basic protections. They note that non-refoulement is part of customary international law and is supported by human rights treaties that India has signed.
Personal stories and logistics of operations
For families, the impact is immediate and heart-wrenching. A Delhi-based Rohingya mother said her teenage son stopped answering calls after police took him in early May; she later heard that a group matching his age and description had been sent to the islands. In Assam, a father described watching officers separate him from his daughter before putting him on a bus toward the border.
These stories echo across Delhi, Jammu, Hyderabad, and Assam—anxious calls, broken lines, and unconfirmed reports of people seen near crossings or ports.
Reported logistics of the operations:
1. Detention in Delhi (often blindfolded)
2. Air transport to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
3. Escort onto a ship and transfer at sea
4. Distribution of life jackets and orders to jump toward Myanmar-controlled shore
Witnesses described strong currents and rough water. One man said he swam until he could no longer feel his legs, then drifted toward shore.
Humanitarian groups are tracking three urgent concerns:
– The fate of those forced into the Andaman Sea near Myanmar’s coast
– The legal status and welfare of those removed to Bangladesh
– The risk of further expulsions from detention centers and urban areas in India
UN agencies say they have asked India for information about the whereabouts of those pushed into the sea and the grounds used for the removals. Advocates want independent monitors to visit facilities where Rohingya are held and to verify any transfers by air, sea, or land.
Risk factors and regional context
The risks of sea crossings remain extreme. The Andaman Sea has strong currents, changing weather, and long distances between islands and safe harbors. In a month when hundreds drowned off Myanmar’s coast, ordering people to jump from a ship is, as one aid worker put it, “a roll of the dice with human lives.” Medical staff warn survivors often suffer hypothermia, dehydration, and trauma.
Regional pressures compound the crisis:
– Bangladesh’s camps are over capacity and lack resources to host more arrivals.
– Myanmar remains unsafe for Rohingya returnees.
– Without coordination, people risk being trapped between borders, at sea, or in detention.
Policy context: India has a history of hosting people fleeing conflict (Tibetans, Sri Lankan Tamils, Afghans). But recent policy under BJP leadership has shifted toward a tighter security lens—more detentions, state-level policing, and removals with limited transparency.
Practical steps urged by lawyers and community leaders:
– Access to UNHCR for detained Rohingya
– Protection against expulsion for children, pregnant women, and the sick
– Time-limited humanitarian visas for families awaiting case review
– Clear rules and case-by-case decisions rather than rushed mass removals
Calls for action and recommended measures
For readers seeking official policy documents, the Government of India’s Ministry of Home Affairs hosts information about the country’s approach to foreigners and immigration rules. While these pages do not provide an asylum process, they outline how authorities view entry, stay, and removal of non-citizens. See the Ministry of Home Affairs for official notices and circulars.
Rights groups and UN officials have called for several actions:
– A halt to deportations and at-sea pushbacks of Rohingya refugees
– An independent investigation into the May operations involving the Andaman Sea
– Access for UNHCR to all detained Rohingya and notice before any removal
– Child-sensitive procedures and family unity in any status review
Advocates stress these steps would align practice with the basic duty not to send people back to danger. Even without formal accession to the Refugee Convention, India has signed human rights treaties that prohibit forced returns to persecution, torture, or threats to life.
Community response and next steps
As inquiries move forward, community groups are trying to fill urgent gaps. Volunteers in Delhi and Assam help families:
– File missing-person reports
– Gather proof of UNHCR registration
– Document injuries and confiscated property
Lawyers collect testimonies from those returned to Bangladesh, who describe being dropped near border points at night, without money or documents.
The coming weeks will test whether India changes course. Two possible paths:
1. Continued removals — more families risk death at sea or disappearance into insecure areas across the Myanmar border.
2. Screening and protection — temporary protection, case-by-case reviews, and cooperation with UNHCR could reduce harm and identify the most vulnerable.
For Rohingya refugees, the stakes could not be higher. One man who survived the sea crossing said he thought he would die in the dark water. “We were told to jump,” he said, “and hope.”
This Article in a Nutshell
In May 2025 multiple human rights organizations and refugee advocates reported that Indian authorities forcibly expelled Rohingya refugees via air and sea operations that appear to violate international protections. Witnesses described detainees blindfolded in Delhi, flown to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, escorted onto a naval vessel, and ordered to jump into the Andaman Sea toward Myanmar; at least 40 were reportedly subjected to this pushback. Separately, more than 100 Rohingya were removed from Assam’s Matia Transit Detention Centre and forced into Bangladesh without asylum review. The UN, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International have condemned the actions, called for independent investigations, and demanded UNHCR access. India is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and lacks domestic non-refoulement protections, leaving Rohingya vulnerable to detention and removal. Legal petitions to halt deportations were dismissed by India’s Supreme Court in mid-May, heightening concerns. Advocates urge case-by-case screening, protection for vulnerable individuals, and transparent cooperation with UN agencies to prevent further loss of life at sea and uphold human rights obligations.
