Episode: KPN 19-08-2026

7,656 Rohingya, 504 Bangladeshi nationals identified across Jammu and Kashmir, Government says

The Jammu and Kashmir government has informed a high-level committee that 7,656 Rohingya and 504 Bangladeshi nationals have been identified across the Union Territory, according to official data cited in Indian media.

The figures were presented to members of the High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes, or HLCDC, during its first field visit to Jammu on August 10.

According to the data, 6,737 Rohingya and 46 Bangladeshi nationals were identified across 10 districts of the Jammu region, while 919 Rohingya and 458 Bangladeshis were identified in the Kashmir Valley.

More Rohingya identified in Jammu region

The government figures indicate that the overwhelming majority of the identified Rohingya population is living in the Jammu region rather than the Kashmir Valley.

A senior police officer cited in the report said many Rohingya who initially travelled to Hyderabad after leaving Myanmar later moved to Jammu, with significant movement reported during 2012 and 2017.

Officials said settlements in Jammu have attracted particular attention because of the region’s proximity to the international border.

They also told the committee that the number of Rohingya settlements had increased only marginally during the past two years.

117 cases registered involving Rohingya

Officials told the HLCDC that 117 criminal cases involving Rohingya had been registered across Jammu and Kashmir.

In the Jammu region, authorities said 101 cases had been registered involving 179 men and 21 women.

In the Kashmir Valley, officials reported 16 cases involving 41 women and four men.

The figures relate to individuals named in registered cases and should not be interpreted as evidence of criminal involvement by the Rohingya community as a whole.

Officials raise security and trafficking concerns

Security officials also raised allegations that some Rohingya individuals had been involved in organised crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking.

Those allegations were presented to the committee as security concerns and do not establish collective criminal responsibility for Rohingya refugees or migrants.

Officials reportedly discussed what they described as illegal immigration in border districts and called for stronger monitoring and surveillance.

The committee also met civil society organisations working with people living in Rohingya settlements.

Allegations of trafficking and exploitation under investigation

The report cited claims that some Rohingya women had been taken from Jammu to Kashmir and married through informal arrangements.

Officials said investigations had identified cases involving alleged coercion and sexual exploitation.

A source quoted in the report said several cases described as human trafficking had emerged in recent years.

The allegations concern specific cases and individuals and have not been shown to apply broadly to the Rohingya population.

Committee studying demographic change and immigration

India’s Ministry of Home Affairs constituted the HLCDC on May 26 to examine demographic changes linked to what the government describes as illegal immigration and other factors.

The committee has been given one year to submit its report.

Its mandate includes recommending measures for what authorities describe as an organised and permanent system for the legal and time-bound detention or deportation of immigrants residing in India.

Rohingya remain stateless and displaced

The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

Large numbers fled Myanmar following waves of communal violence, discriminatory restrictions and military operations, particularly in 2012 and 2017.

Many Rohingya remain stateless and displaced across South and Southeast Asia, including in Bangladesh and India.

For Rohingya rights advocates, reporting on migration and security issues remains particularly sensitive because allegations involving individuals can contribute to broader stigmatization of an already persecuted and stateless population.

KPN Editorial Note

KPN distinguishes between allegations involving specific individuals and claims about the Rohingya community as a whole. References to organised crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking and security concerns in this report are attributed to Jammu and Kashmir authorities and do not constitute independent findings of collective wrongdoing.

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