Seven Myanmar Women Convicted For Illegal Stay In India Manage To Get J&K Domicile Papers

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have initiated a case following the discovery that one of seven women from Myanmar, previously convicted by a Kishtwar court for illegal residence in India, had obtained a Jammu and Kashmir domicile certificate.

According to Kishtwar Senior Superintendent of Police Khalil Poswal, these domicile certificates can only be issued to Indian citizens. Notably, they managed to acquire Aadhaar cards, as reported by Indian Express.

A first information report (FIR) has been registered at the Dachhan Police Station in Kishtwar, and a police team has been dispatched to confiscate the documents used by the women to obtain the alleged 'fake' domicile certificate.

The investigation will delve into how Anwara Begum, the Myanmar national, acquired the certificate and who facilitated its issuance. The involvement of relevant officials is also under scrutiny, but no arrests have been made at this stage, the police confirmed.

These seven women have been residing in Dachhan for several years, are married to local residents, and have children. They were apprehended by the police between 2012 and 2014 under the provisions of the Foreigners Act, subsequently convicted and fined by a local court, as stated by Poswal.

Anwara Begum is married to Faiz Ahmed, a Dachhan resident employed as a labourer, and they have three minor children.

The settlement of Myanmar nationals, particularly Rohingyas fleeing violence, in Jammu and Kashmir has faced consistent opposition from various political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena, and the Panthers Party.

Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, in 2017, acknowledged the presence of 5,743 Rohingyas in Jammu and Kashmir.

In 2021, the Jammu and Kashmir government transformed the Hiranagar sub-jail in Kathua district into a holding centre for Myanmar nationals illegally staying in the Jammu division.

Over 200 individuals were detained there as part of the central government's deportation plan, which was later stalled by a Supreme Court stay order.