TRIPURA: 18 ROHINGYAS ARRESTED

Eighteen Rohingyas from Myanmar, including three children and four women who had entered India illegally, were  apprehended in western Tripura. They were later taken to the Teliamura Police Station for questioning.

According to the police, the Rohingyas entered the state on Wednesday and were trying to go to Delhi in search of jobs. The Rohingyas from Myanmar have illegally entered Tripura and a few other northeastern states via Bangladesh in the past in search of work. But, subsequently they were pushed back following legal and security formalities.

 It may be mentioned that over 670,000 Rohingyas, a mainly Muslim minority living in Myanmar, have fled the northwestern province of Rakhine since the end of August last year after a wave of persecution and violence that the United Nations described as an attempt at "ethnic cleansing". Efforts are on to repatriate them to their homeland in Myanmar.

Tripura shares an 856-km border with Bangladesh, most of which is fenced except a stretch of nearly 20 km. Other than Tripura, the other states sharing the 1,880-km international border with Bangladesh are Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km) and Assam (263 km).

Speaking to INSIDENE,Khowai SP Krishnendu Chakravertty said that 11 men, three women, four children were arrested. Nine of them have been prosecuted while all the minors have been sent to juvenile court.