NPP stages protest seeking deportation of illegal immigrants settled in Jammu

The National Panthers Party (NPP) staged a protest here on Saturday seeking early deportation of illegal immigrants, including Rohingya Muslims, from Jammu.

The NPP protest came a day after Union minister Jitendra Singh said the government's next move would be regarding the deportation of Rohingya refugees as they will not be able to secure citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act.

NPP activists led by their chairman and former Jammu and Kashmir minister Harsh Dev Singh assembled at the Exhibition Ground here and raised slogans against the illegal immigrants.

Terming their early repatriation as the need of the hour, the NPP leader said the natives of Myanmar and Bangladesh had already been identified in Jammu city and its adjacent areas.

He urged upon Union Home Minister Amit Shah to immediately respond to the "grave situation" and direct the local administration to ensure deportation of these unlawful immigrants without any further delay in the larger interests of peace and security.

More than 13,700 foreigners, including Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi nationals, are settled in Jammu and Samba districts, where their population has increased by over 6,000 between 2008 and 2016, according to government data.