Delhi: Amid longing for what is lost, some cheer for the Rohingyas

For the Rohingya community, the exodus from Myanmar followed several complications, including prosecutions for crossing the border illegally.

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Children at the Rohingya refugee camp, a day before Bakrid, in New Delhi on Monday. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)

There will be more food on our plates tomorrow, declare children of the Rohingya community, chasing the much-anticipated vans that arrive with sacrificial animals. Prolonged persecution of this ethnic Muslim minority in a majority Buddhist Myanmar led to the community’s mass migration to Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. About four-five years ago, 250 Rohingyas found refuge in a relief camp on the fringes of Delhi, adjoining a Hindu cremation ground. And the only prayer they have had in all these years is to belong.

Perhaps lost in the same prayer is Ameena Khatoon, who has set up a tiny store with the money she got from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Bakrid has never been a pompous affair in the five years she spent at the camp. “A few kind-hearted people donate animals to us. Hopefully, they will again, like last year,” she says.

Just then, it seems like her prayers have been answered, for two vans carrying six animals emerge from the dust. Curious children scamper towards the soon-to-be sacrificed animals to catch a glimpse. Another lot of toddlers in the camp is down with jaundice, diarrhoea and dengue. The community has access to only four toilets. “Women and men have no choice but to go to the fields,” says Khatoon.

Not far from Khatoon is her 22-year-old son Ali. He has been associated with an NGO that works for the UNHCR. Unlike his brothers, Ali converses in English. “We appreciate the fact that we got to stay here. But this is staying and not living. We don’t belong anywhere. This is no life,” says Ali, who wants to be a lawyer.

The exodus from Myanmar followed several complications, including prosecutions for crossing the border illegally. Ali says, “Many of them are languishing in jails since decades for offences that don’t attract more than a few months of jail time.” His elder brother Mohammad says, “Though the UN recognised us as the most persecuted community in the world, we have not had a country we could call our home.” For now, though, Rohingyas here will have enough to last a few days.

Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan is the Head-Legal Project for Indian Express Digital, based in New Delhi. With over 14 years of professional experience, Aamir's background as a legal professional and a veteran journalist allows him to bridge the gap between complex judicial proceedings and public understanding. Expertise Specialized Legal Authority: Aamir holds an LLB from CCS University, providing him with the formal legal training necessary to analyze constitutional matters, statutes, and judicial precedents with technical accuracy. Experience Press Trust of India (PTI): Served as News Editor, where he exercised final editorial judgment on legal stories emerging from the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts for the nation's primary news wire. Bar and Bench: As Associate Editor, he led the vanguard of long-form legal journalism, conducting exclusive interviews and producing deep-dive investigative series on the most pressing legal issues of the day. Foundational Reporting: His expertise is built on years of "boots-on-the-ground" reporting for The Indian Express (Print) and The Times of India, covering the legal beats in the high-intensity hubs of Mumbai and Delhi. Multidisciplinary Academic Background: * LLB, CCS University. PG Diploma in Journalism (New Media), Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai. BSc in Life Sciences and Chemistry, Christ College, Bangalore—an asset for reporting on environmental law, patent litigation, and forensic evidence. ... Read More

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