Rohingya crisis: Commoners shouldn’t suffer,says Mamata Banerjee

Following the Centre's submission to the Supreme Court that Rohingya Muslims have links with terror outfits such as ISI and ISIS, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata on Monday said that the government should ensure that commoners did not suffer.

"I think all commoners are not terrorists. There are bad people and good people in every community. There is a difference between commoners and terrorists. Commoners must not suffer because if they do then humanity will suffer. I think that in accordance with the UN verdict we should not compromise our humanity with anything else," Banerjee told reporters at the secretariat here.

The country, she said, cannot compromise with any terrorist activities. "If there is any terrorist then the Central government will take action against them," she said.

The West Bengal Chief Minister further said that the Centre has asked it to deport those, including children, of the Rohingya community who had arrived in the state. "But the Child Commission was not agreeing with the move".

"They (Centre) has asked us to deport the children and others of the Rohingyas who have come here. But Institution of child commission are not agreeing with it," she said.

The Centre told the Supreme Court that the Rohingya Muslims are "illegal" immigrants in the country and their countinous stay posed "serious national security ramifications".

The Union home ministry on Monday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Rohingya Muslims' deportation to Myanmar, calling them a security threat to India.

The government told the Supreme Court that the Rohingyas' continued presence in India would have serious national security ramifications.

PTI