Clashes erupted on Tuesday morning between Myanmar nationals detained at the Holding Center in Hiranagar town, Jammu and Kashmir, and the police, resulting in injuries on both sides, according to reports from the Indian Express.
The confrontations occurred when the police intervened to rescue the center's in-charge and two staff members, who were being held captive by the detainees. The Rohingya detainees responded by pelting stones, injuring several policemen. By 11 am, the situation was brought under control with the arrival of reinforcements from the police and Central Reserve Police Force. The authorities used lathi charge and teargas shells to disperse the unruly mob and free the center's employees from the occupied office room.
Several Rohingya detainees were also injured during the clashes, some of them sustaining injuries from stones thrown by fellow protesters. The injured detainees received first aid, and no major injuries were reported.
The Holding Center in Kathua district has experienced a tense atmosphere for the past year, with detainees frequently staging demonstrations and hunger strikes. Presently, the center houses a total of 271 Rohingya, including 74 women and 70 children who were born there.
The trouble began when the center's staff tried to open the barracks in the morning, but they were held captive by Rohingya detainees who demanded their release. The news of the incident spread, prompting the police from Hiranagar police station to rush to the scene, where they were attacked with stones.
Kathua SSP Shivdeep Singh Jamwal, along with other police and prison officials, arrived at the center to assess the situation and confirmed that it was now under control.
The center, previously a sub-jail, was designated as a "holding center" by the Jammu and Kashmir government on March 5, 2021, to accommodate illegal Myanmar immigrants as defined under Section 2(b) of the Citizenship Act, 1955. Many detainees have been held since March 6, 2021, when the central and state governments began relocating Rohingya immigrants residing illegally in Jammu to the Holding Center in Hiranagar, with the intention of eventually deporting them to Myanmar.
However, their deportation was halted following an April 2021 Supreme Court order that mandated adherence to due legal procedures before deporting those detained in Jammu.
The detainees have been demanding their immediate release to reunite with their family members, including children residing outside the center in Rohingya settlements.
The presence of Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals has caused unrest among various organizations based in Jammu, with a traders' body even issuing threats of violence unless the detainees are deported.
