Two Opposition MPs have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the arrest of several African refugees in Delhi, calling for the protection of their rights and dignity.

In the past week, the Delhi Police has arrested nearly 30 African refugees and sent them to a detention facility.

Ankit Chauhan, the deputy commissioner of police in South Delhi, had told Scroll that the arrests were part of a “routine exercise” as the refugees were “illegally overstaying their visas and passports”.

However, human rights activists have alleged that the police seem to be “going after” African refugees, as has been the case with the detention of Rohingya refugees in recent months.

In a letter on Thursday, Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said that police personnel have been conducting raids, detaining Sudanese, Yemeni and Somali refugees, and sending them to the Lampur detention centre.

In a separate letter, Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha of the Rashtriya Janata Dal said that the detained persons were not undocumented migrants but recognised refugees holding valid identity cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

He was referring to the identity documents issued to refugees and asylum-seekers by the United Nations body. While the card protects against refugees from being sent back to their home countries, it does not grant holders the right to remain in the host nation.

Speaking to Scroll, Chauhan, the police officer, had said that “UNHCR cards are not accepted by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office”.

Jha said on Thursday that “the targeting of men while leaving women and children vulnerable, some with infants, represents a particularly cruel form of family separation”.

Scroll reported on Thursday that one of the refugees who was arrested, Ahmed Gaber, was detained along with his wife and one-year-old daughter.

While his wife and daughter were released, they were allegedly pressured to return to the home country Sudan. When his wife refused, she was allegedly beaten up by the police, Gaber alleged.

Gaber told Scroll that he was concerned for his family’s safety as his wife has diabetic and has to take care of their infant alone. All three have UNHCR identity cards, which Scroll has seen.

Both MPs said that the refugees had come to India seeking safety. “Instead, they encounter daily racism and are now facing systematic persecution by our own authorities,” Jha said.

Jha added that the government’s action would define whether India continues to uphold the principle of “vasudhaiv kutumbakam”, or “the world is one family”.

“This crackdown does no favour to our country’s image and severely damages our reputation as a diverse, inclusive democracy,” he added.

Brittas said that India’s response “will not only shape the future of these vulnerable refugees but will also affirm to the world our steadfast commitment to cherished ideals”.

The Opposition MPs demanded that the Union government put an immediate end to the arrests and raids targeting African refugees, release persons currently detained and recognition of UNHCR documentation.

India does not have a law covering the protection of refugees and is not a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Refugees. The 2025 Immigration and Foreigners Act, which came into effect from September 1, criminalises undocumented refugees and grants authorities the power to deny them entry or exit.

Also read: As India cracks down on refugees, it is betraying its long commitment to international solidarity

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