Allegations of sexual misconduct against 10 Myanmar women detained at Assam’s Matia Transit Camp have renewed attention on the plight of refugees who fled Myanmar’s military takeover and remain trapped in prolonged detention in India years after their arrest.
India For Myanmar, a solidarity group advocating for Myanmar people in India, has issued a statement expressing concern over alleged rights violations involving Myanmar women currently held at the detention facility in Assam’s Goalpara district.
According to the organisation, 32 Myanmar nationals are presently detained at the Matia Transit Camp, including 10 women.
The group alleged that on June 22, personnel from the Assam Rifles conducted searches of the detained Myanmar women under the direction of an assistant jailer. Citing accounts provided by the detainees, the organisation claimed that only male personnel were involved in the searches and that no female officers were present.
India For Myanmar argued that such searches would violate provisions of Section 49(2) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which requires searches of female detainees to be conducted by women with due regard for decency.
The organisation further alleged that while approximately 80 women were housed in the female wing, only the 10 Myanmar women were singled out for full-body searches. It claimed that detainees reported inappropriate physical contact during the searches and were allegedly warned that similar searches would continue regularly.
Refugee advocates say the case raises broader questions about the treatment of Myanmar nationals who fled political persecution following the military coup in Myanmar and have remained in detention in India for years.
Speaking to EastMojo, Salai Dokhar, founder of India For Myanmar, said the detainees were originally arrested under provisions of the Foreigners Act after using forged documents while attempting to travel within India.
“The reason they are detained is because of the Foreigners Act because they used illegal documents to travel from Mizoram to New Delhi to register with UNHCR. They have been detained for over five years now,” Dokhar said.
The roots of the case go back to 2021, months after Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup that triggered widespread violence and displacement.
On September 12, 2021, 26 Myanmar nationals were arrested in Guwahati for allegedly carrying forged identification documents. A case was registered at Paltan Bazar Police Station under provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Foreigners Act and the Passport (Entry into India) Act.
Less than a month later, on October 1, 2021, another 14 Myanmar nationals were arrested at Imphal airport while allegedly attempting to board a flight using forged Aadhaar cards.
According to refugee advocates, many of those arrested were attempting to reach New Delhi to register with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and seek international protection.
Earlier, EastMojo spoke to Nutei, a Guwahati-based businesswoman who assisted several of the arrested Myanmar nationals, as saying that many were fleeing persecution linked to their opposition to Myanmar’s military regime.
“These refugees are nurses, some of them are teachers. They were supposed to be shot dead for joining CDF,” she told the magazine, referring to the Chinland Defence Force, an armed resistance group fighting Myanmar’s military government.
According to India For Myanmar, some detainees have already completed their prison sentences but remain confined because conditions in Myanmar continue to be unstable and repatriation has not taken place.
The organisation also alleged that some detainees have received asylum offers from third countries but that UNHCR has been unable to complete required procedures, including biometric collection.
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Human rights advocates argue that the case highlights a gap between immigration enforcement and refugee protection. While India is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, it has historically hosted people fleeing conflicts in neighbouring countries, including Tibet, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Myanmar.
India For Myanmar has called for an independent investigation into the allegations raised by the detainees, protection of their rights, greater involvement by UNHCR and international agencies, and renewed attention to the situation of Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers in India.
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