Rohingyas and the (Il)Legal Quest violates art 21 of the Constitution of India 1950, which protects the fundamental right to life of all persons (extending to Rohingyas) and not just Indian citizens. 16 This government crackdown has not only instilled a fear of deportation amongst the Rohingya community, but has also pushed them into the corner by denying them virtually all other avenues for obtaining any form of identity document. Calling Rohingyas ‘illegal immigrants’ not only meant their impending deportation, but also the subsequent denial of all other forms of identity including refugee status. The UNHCR issued refugee card can no longer provide security against non-refoulement to the Rohingyas living in India, and the government has arbitrarily discontinued the practice of giving Long Term Visas (‘LTVs’) to Rohingyas. 17 A Rohingya living in India for many years shared his agony in the following way to me: I had acquired the Aadhaar card (before 2018) through proper legal channels by providing my electricity bill and LTV. Suddenly, why is it that the Indian authorities have now cancelled my Aadhaar card? Even the refugee card issued by UNHCR to me is not being recognised. I have been staying in India certainly for more than one hundred and eighty two days. Even my children were born on Indian soil! When will I qualify to be an Indian resident? I do not want Indian citizenship. Rather, I dream of going back to Myanmar with full citizenship rights. I am thankful to the people of India for giving me shelter here… But I do not want to live in fear of deportation and suffer mental harassment like this every day. 18 Rohingyas, on account of their religious identity as Muslims, have also been alleged to have ‘terrorist links’ to the Islamic state and are consequently seen as a ‘security threat’ to India, though there is no evidence to prove the same. 19 Rohingyas, therefore, continue to be seen as Muslims who must be under continuous surveillance. Already, the police of the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir have started collecting personal data and biometrics of the Rohingyas living in the state. 20 A new angle has now been added to the religious identity of Rohingyas. In July 2020, reports claimed that Rohingya Muslims along with Afghan Muslims were converting to Christianity to claim citizenship status under the Citizenship 16 17 18 19 20 ‘Deporting Rohingya Could Have Huge Implications on India and Tarnish Global Image, Says Lawyer Colin Gonsalves’, Firstpost (online, 27 September 2017) <https://www.firstpost.com/india/deporting-rohingyas-would-have-huge-implications-onindia-says-lawyer-colin-gonsalves-4085149.html>. See Ali Johar in Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, ‘Webinar: Human Rights and Covid19. What Now for the Rohingya?’ (YouTube, 29 June 2020) 0:16:37−0:24:32 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPrQEMgK_Bw&t=35s>. Interview with Anonymous Rohingya Based in India (Tejal Khanna, 2020). ‘Make Public Evidences of Links of Rohingyas with Islamic State, Pakistan: Congress to Centre’, Firstpost (online, 21 September 2017) <https://www.firstpost.com/politics/makepublic-evidences-of-links-of-rohingyas-with-islamic-state-pakistan-congress-to-centre4068379.html>. Also see Niranjan Sahoo, ‘India’s Rohingya Realpolitik’, Carnegie (online, 31 October 2017) <https://carnegieendowment.org/2017/10/31/india-s-rohingya-realpolitikpub-74590>. See ‘Refugees Twice Over: Why Rohingya Who Had Found Shelter in Jammu are Fleeing Again’, Scroll.in (online, 7 Feb 2019) <https://scroll.in/article/912146/refugees-twice-overwhy-rohingya-who-had-found-shelter-in-jammu-are-fleeing-again>; Mudasir Amin, Nobody's Children, Owners of Nothing’: Analysing the Indian State’s Policy Response to the Rohingya Refugee Crisis (Report, The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy 29 August 2018) <https://www.thehinducentre.com/publications/policyreport/article24828825.ece/BINARY/Policy%20Report%20No.24> 81–94. 345