Rohingya Muslims’ Migration, the Citizenship Amendment Act and Marginalisation of Muslim Identity in India: A Sociological Analysis

The migration of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar to India has turned into a political discourse, specifically during the ministry of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a far right-wing political party in India. The Rohingya have been searching for shelter in several countries to get asylum from the Inquisition in Myanmar. However, their presence in India has been politicized, particularly in the context of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) introduced in 2019. The CAA offers a way to get Indian citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, deliberately excluding Muslims, including Rohingyas who need immediate asylum. This paper explores how the right-wing political parties have utilized the Rohingya crisis as a political subject to get support for the CAA and its broader Hindu Nationalism. The methodology includes a detailed analysis of political speeches, political parties’ election manifestos, media reports, and government policies since 2014. This approach exposes the narrative around the Rohingya and its association with the BJP's electoral strategies. This paper argues that the BJP’s depiction of Rohingya as potential terrorists and economic burdens, and invasion of ‘Indian culture’ is a strategic step to spark fear and solidify the Hindu vote bank. By framing the Rohingya as a threat, the ruling party substantiates the need for the exclusionary provisions of the CAA, which are fundamentally anti-Muslim and violate human rights. This paper argues that Rohingya in India have become ‘wasted lives’ and/or ‘invisible people’, offering a concerning indication for the future of Indian Muslims as ‘missing masses’. The exclusion of Rohingya from the CAA reflects a broader intent to segregate and marginalize Muslims, contradicting India's principle of Atithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God). Additionally, the CAA acts as a turbulent wave, throwing Muslims, including Indian Muslims, to the extreme fringes of society, thus constructing them as ‘abject’.