New Delhi: Recently, during a series of raids in the capital city, the Delhi police arrested nearly 30 African refugees and sent them to the Lampur detention centre, stirring fear among other African refugees residing in Delhi, some of whom have now gone into hiding to avoid the police arrest.

Most of those detained are from Sudan and Somalia. Refugees told The Wire that police arrested them directly from their homes in residential areas such as Hauz Rani and Malviya Nagar, as well as some from public spaces.

While the official reason cited for the arrests is overstaying expired visas, several refugees have alleged that the crackdown is motivated by racial discrimination.

After the raids, some refugees said they were forced to leave their homes. In Malviya Nagar, police personnel, dressed in plainclothes, are reportedly still carrying out searches, and out of fear of being arrested, some of them are now living outdoors in parks and cemeteries.

Aaden (name changed to protect identity), one of the refugees hiding from the police, tells The Wire, "On the night of September 15, around 10:45 pm, three policemen in civil dress stopped me in Hauz Rani. I showed them my valid UNHCR card, but they threw it on the ground and slapped me twice.”

“The police used abusive words and said, 'Don't show us this UNHCR card. This card is not valid.' After that, they told me to take them to my house. I responded, ‘Alright, I'll show you my home’, and then led them into a familiar alley. The lanes were narrow, and I ran away when I got the chance.

“Since that night, I haven't gone back to my home. I have been hiding in the gardens and cemeteries. I have a wife and two small children, one of whom is just a few weeks old. For now, I'm not able to return to my home. If I do, the police will arrest me," he says.

Aaden has been living in India since 2013. He originally came to Bengaluru as a student to pursue his pharmacy studies, but due to the civil war in Sudan, returning to his homeland became impossible, and he stayed back in India as a refugee. 

He says that even though he holds a valid UNHCR card until 2028, he has faced racist treatment by the Delhi police. He alleged that this police action was not limited to checking the visa status but was clearly motivated by racial bias.

He recalls an incident in Malviya Nagar, where a group of refugees from Somalia, Sudan and Yemen had gathered at a tea stall. 

"When the Delhi police arrived, they deliberately targeted people based only on skin colour. The police pointed and called us, singling out only black skinned people, while letting the white skinned Yemenis go," he says, adding that in the chaos that followed, he and his Somali friend managed to escape, but the other Black refugees were taken into custody by the Delhi Police. 

Ahmed Gabr, a 46-year-old Sudanese refugee, was arrested by Delhi Police on September 13. He was taken into police custody for allegedly remaining in the country after his visa expired, but Gabr believed his UNHCR card, which was still valid, would protect him. That did not happen; police reportedly rejected the UNHCR card and arrested him.

Gabr was held at Malviya Nagar police station. He alleges that when his wife arrived there later, she was allegedly assaulted by female police officers.

Similarly, on September 5, Sharmake Mohammad Hussen, a Somali refugee, was arrested by Delhi Police after Friday prayers. Hussen, who sought refuge in India because of the dire situation in his homeland, Somalia, has been living in Delhi for the past eight years. 

He had originally come to India as a student but could not return because of instability in his homeland.

Six to seven police officers knocked on his door. They asked him to show his visa. Hussen showed them his official UNHCR refugee card, but the police allegedly threw it aside. He says the police officers told him, "We do not accept this card; we want a visa."

Subsequently, he was arrested, taken to various police posts and stations and eventually sent to the Lampur detention centre, where he remains in custody.

Following the crackdown on African refugees, opposition MPs have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising the issue. Rajya Sabha MP Prof. Manoj Jha (RJD), along with John Brittas (CPI-M) and Lok Sabha MP Rajaram Singh (CPI-ML), have urged the prime minister to immediately stop the crackdown.

In their letters, MPs pointed out that these people are refugees recognised by the UNHCR, not 'illegal migrants', and that refusing to accept their identity cards is a violation of international humanitarian law.

Opposition MPs called the Delhi Police raids a "systematic crackdown" that results in the "cruel separation" of African refugee families, leaving women and small children vulnerable. The MPs have demanded a halt to the operation and the release of all those who have been arrested.

A refugee who spoke to The Wire on the phone claimed there are now more than 300 African refugees held at the Lampur detention centre. He described the conditions as extremely poor and said life there was unbearable. He said more than 20 people are forced to share a small room; the food provided is of very low quality, and they sleep alongside rats, cockroaches and other pests.

There is reportedly no proper medical examination or care. The detainees said they have repeatedly appealed to UNHCR lawyers, but were told the matter is "not in their hands." 

Now they feel they have no option but to endure the conditions in the detention centre and accept what is happening.

Lawyer Nandita Haksar has strongly condemned the arrests, calling them shocking and a violation of both Indian constitutional principles and international law. 

Speaking to The Wire about the situation, Haksar says, "The recent arrest of the 30-odd African, mostly Sudanese and Somalian refugees, is shocking. One, they are being arrested or detained at Lampur, separated from families, which itself is a violation of human rights. It must be remembered that the Indian Constitution guarantees all people, even those who are not citizens, Article 14 and 21, that is the right to life and the right against arbitrary use of power or abuse of power.”

She adds, “The government should recognise UNHCR identity cards and look at them as valid refugees till such time that India has a domestic law. These scenes of arresting and raiding the Africans are not at all in consonance with India's past history of welcoming refugees. And the issue of refugees should be separate from the issue of migrants."

The Wire also reached out to the Delhi Police for their comment. On September 18, when The Wire visited the Malviya Nagar police station, officials said that due to the Delhi University elections, police officers were busy with their duties and so were not able to respond.

On September 20, when The Wire contacted Vinay Yadav, SHO of Malviya Nagar police station, over the phone, he declined to answer the questions and said, "I cannot comment on this matter," directing this reporter to approach senior officials instead.

Attempts were also made to get a response from Ankit Chauhan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Delhi), but no reply was received.

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