Desperate Families Still Search for Rohingya Christians Cast Into Sea by Indian Navy

Relatives of ethnic Rohingya Christian refugees cast into the sea by India's navy have yet to hear from them nearly two months after the cast-offs swam ashore to their native Myanmar, sparking international condemnation and a UN investigation into what officials are calling "unconscionable acts."

"If someone could just tell us if they are alive or dead – this anxiety is killing us," Sadeq Shalom told Morning Star News in Delhi, speaking for families desperate for information about their loved ones' whereabouts.

The Deportation Operation

On May 6, 2025, Indian authorities detained 38 Rohingya refugees in New Delhi, including 15 Christians, under the pretext of collecting biometric data. Police had detained the Rohingya Christian refugees from the Uttam Nagar and Vikaspuri areas in Delhi while authorities rounded up the 23 Muslim Rohingya from other parts of Delhi.

The Indian military transported the Rohingya via aircraft to Sri Vijaya Puram (also called Port Blair) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Once there, officials seized their U.N refugee documentation, money and belongings before placing them on Indian Navy ships.

According to testimony from John Anwar, one of the Christian refugees, navy personnel bound their hands and covered their eyes with blindfolds for about four hours, causing Anwar's wrists to bleed. Anwar was assaulted after naval personnel noticed a cross and his full name "John Anwar" written on his T-shirt.

On May 8, the Indian navy cast the refugees into the sea near India's maritime border with Myanmar, providing them with life jackets before forcing them to swim to shore.

International Condemnation and UN Investigation

Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, has launched an inquiry into what he called "unconscionable, unacceptable acts," stating: "The idea that Rohingya refugees have been cast into the sea from naval vessels is nothing short of outrageous".

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said it had appointed a U.N. expert to probe into what it called were "unconscionable, unacceptable acts" and urged the Indian government to refrain from "inhumane and life-threatening treatment of Rohingya refugees, including their repatriation into perilous conditions in Myanmar".

Amnesty International India urged the Indian government to "uphold its legal obligations under international law and halt all deportations of Rohingya refugees at once," said Aakar Patel, chair of the board of Amnesty International India.

Christian Community Under Siege

The deportations have devastated Delhi's small Christian Rohingya community of approximately 150 people who have worshipped in three congregations each Sunday. For the past 13 years, the small Christian Rohingya community in Delhi has rented rooms to worship in three congregations each Sunday.

Shalom along with 150 Rohingya Christians came to India in 2014 after they faced brutality at the hands of Myanmar military. Upon arriving in Delhi, the government of India granted many of them Long Term Visas (LTV) and they also registered with the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The policy has devastated Delhi's close-knit Christian Rohingya community, as businesses are afraid to employ them and the refugees are struggling to support their families. They also fear the government will round them up and deport them back to Myanmar.

Persecution Context

Rohingya refugees in India face persecution and attacks from Hindu nationalist groups. Christian support organization Open Doors ranks India 11th on its 2025 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution.

Community Response

Despite the fear and uncertainty, the church continues. Three young men, including Shalom, have taken up preaching and pastoral care for the congregation. The past month, they secretly gathered in different homes for worship.

"We thought if the government wants to detain all of us, let them detain us from the church service," said Shalom.

To cope with the economic hardship, the community adopted an "early church" approach by sharing their limited resources. "For example, I had a bag of rice, and I distributed [it] to the people who didn't have," Shalom said.

Background on the Rohingya Crisis

Myanmar regards the Rohingya as migrants from Bangladesh and denies them citizenship, but the Rohingya maintain they are indigenous to western Myanmar. Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017 that led to more than 740,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh, their population in Myanmar was estimated at 1.4 million.

India does not have a national policy or a law to deal with refugees, leaving many in legal limbo despite UN recognition of their refugee status.

The families of those cast into the sea continue their agonizing wait for news, with relatives hiding from police while desperately seeking any information about their loved ones' fate in Myanmar.