Assam plans to send Rohingya girl to parents in Bangladesh, not Myanmar

The appeal came after MHA sent a letter to the state authorities to deport her to Myanmar in April as she is a Rohingya.

The first attempt to send her to Myanmar through the international border in Manipur's Moreh was made last year, but Myanmar refused to open the border gate. Later, the girl was sent back to a shelter home in Assam's Silchar.

Member of Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Ajoy Kumar Dutta said they have requested MHA to modify its fresh order to deport the girl to Myanmar.

"We received information about this and we stepped into this to protect her rights. Presently, there is an order to deport the girl to Myanmar in April this year. We want she should have the right to choose where she wants to stay. If she is willing to go to Bangladesh where her parents are reportedly residing, the Government of India should allow this," Dutta told reporters at Silchar Circuit House on Thursday.

According to Cachar police, the minor girl was found in an unconscious condition in the Rangpur area near Silchar town in 2019. After rescuing her, the police handed her over to the Ujjala Shelter Home for Girls and Women for counselling. She stayed there for almost a year and was later sent to the Nivedita Nari Sanstha.

Diba Roy of Nivedita Nari Sangstha said the girl's father has written letters to her and he doesn't want his daughter to be deported to Myanmar. "Her father in one letter requested us to send her to Hyderabad where her uncle lives if required. But we cannot take any decision because it is a matter looked after by MHA," she said.

Superintendent of police of Cachar district Ramandeep Kaur said she was under orders from MHA to send the girl to Myanmar. "We don't take decisions. It is an order issued by the central government. If any further order comes, we'll follow that too," the police officer said.