Operation insaniyat: India rushes relief materials for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

1st consignment of Indian humanitarian assistance of 53 MT for Bangladesh under Operation insaniyat (Pic courtesy: @ihcdhaka)

New Delhi:  India on Thursday rushed 53 tonnes of relief materials to Bangladesh and pledged all help to Dhaka in tackling the humanitarian crisis.

According to the UN estimates, over 379,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar's Rakhine state into Bangladesh since August 25.

The first Indian consignment comes days after Bangladesh High Commissioner in New Delhi Syed Muazzem Ali met Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar last week and briefed him about the problems faced by Dhaka due to the influx of the refugees.

External Affairs Ministry statement said in a statement, "In response to the humanitarian crisis being faced on account of the large influx of refugees into Bangladesh, Government of India has decided to extend assistance to Bangladesh. The relief material consists of items required urgently by the affected people, namely rice, pulses, sugar, salt, cooking oil, tea, ready to eat noodles, biscuits, mosquito nets etc."

"The relief material will be delivered in multiple consignments, the first tranche of which will be brought to Chittagong by an Indian Air Force plane on 14th September 2017. India has always responded readily and swiftly to any crisis in Bangladesh, in keeping with the close ties of friendship between the peoples of India and Bangladesh. India stands ready to provide any assistance required by Government of Bangladesh in this hour of need," it added.

Operation Insaniyat - Humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh on account of influx of refugees [Sep 14, 2017]
Link: https://t.co/veszSE3xC6

— India in Bangladesh (@ihcdhaka) September 14, 2017

1st consignment of #Indian humanitarian assistance of 53 MT for #Bangladeshi arrives under Operation #Insaniyat @SushmaSwaraj; total 7000 MT pic.twitter.com/crmkzhQ9dI — India in Bangladesh (@ihcdhaka) September 14, 2017

Op Insaniyat:HC handed over 1st consignmnt humanitarian asst by #India 2 #Bangladesh Minister @obaidulquader said'this is like repeat of 71' pic.twitter.com/MLLi1AGtBM — India in Bangladesh (@ihcdhaka) September 14, 2017

Minister @obaidulquader on Op #Insaniyat:"no words r enough 2 express gratitude of people of #Bangladesh 4 #India"receiving 1st consignment pic.twitter.com/W0yJsLzLiT — India in Bangladesh (@ihcdhaka) September 14, 2017

#OperationInsaniyat-1st relief plane leaving #Chittagong. Touching Hearts and Flying High. #India #Bangladesh
PhotoCredit- Rajat Hans, ADA. pic.twitter.com/Rpv4pWPb75 — India in Bangladesh (@ihcdhaka) September 14, 2017

Meanwhile, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had on Wednesday slammed attempts to brand India as a 'villain' on the Rohingya refugee issue, saying it was a 'calibrated design' to tarnish the country's image.

His comments had come two days after UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein had flayed any attempts by India to deport Rohingyas to Myanmar.

Rijiju had said criticism of India on the Rohingyas undermines the country's security.

This chorus of branding India as villain on Rohingya issue is a calibrated design to tarnish India's image. It undermines India's security. — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) September 13, 2017

On August 09, the government had told Parliament that according to available data, more than 14,000 Rohingyas, registered with the UNHCR, are presently staying in India.

However, some inputs indicate that around 40,000 Rohingyas are staying in India illegally and the Rohingyas are largely located in Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan, PTI reported.

According to media reports, the violence began when Rohingya militants attacked police posts in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state.

Rohingya residents - a stateless mostly Muslim minority in a Buddhist-majority nation - allege that the military and Rakhine Buddhists responded with a brutal campaign against them, according to the reports.

(With PTI inputs)