NHRC seeks report from centre on Pakistani Hindu refugees

The NHRC on Monday sought reports from the home ministry, external affairs ministry and Delhi government over 500 Pakistani Hindu refugees living in a 28-room dilapidated building in south Delhi.

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday sought reports from the home ministry, external affairs ministry and Delhi government over 500 Pakistani Hindu refugees living in a 28-room dilapidated building in south Delhi.

"We have issued notice to the secretaries of home ministry, ministry of external affairs and chief secretary to Delhi government, calling for reports within four weeks," an official of the NHRC told a news agency. Around 500 people crossed over to India March 9 on the pretext of visiting the Maha Kumbh in Allahabad. The group reached Delhi March 10 and took refuge in a 28-room building owned by Nahar Singh in Bijwasan area of south Delhi. These refugees are demanding Indian citizenship, claiming that they belong to a minority group targeted for oppression in Pakistan. "The Commission is concerned about the deplorable conditions in which these refugees are living. The plight of their children is particularly worrisome... The issue needs to be handled in a humanitarian manner," the official added. Over 100 of the 500 refugees are children, and they have little access to proper food or education. IANS