The Human Rights Organization of Bhutan (HUROB) has called for urgent action to save the Bhutanese refugees from victimization and torture of police in the West Bengal state of India.

The rights organization, which has been speaking up against discrimination suffered by Nepali speaking Bhutanese under the Druk regime in Bhutan and the problems of the country’s citizens who have been exiled in Nepal and India, said that a “witch hunting” of Bhutanese refugees has begun in the state especially in North Bengal and Darjeeling Hill Council.

The “witch-hunting” started after the incidence of bomb explosion on 3rd April 2008 in Siliguri, a town in West Bengal state, in which three Bhutanese refugees had died. The West Bengal police later arrested five Bhutanese refugees including two girls in Siliguri in connection with the incident.

“Innocent refugees are being harassed and students studying in the schools and colleges are doubted and even arrested,” said HUROB in a statement Sunday. The statement was signed by HUROB chairman SB Subba.

Bhutanese students Ashok Gurung and Kamal Subba studying in standard 12 in Kamal Jyoti School and Som Nath Rai, a BA final year student in Kalimpong College in Kalimpong, Darjeeling Hill Council were arrested without any warrant by the West Bengal police on Sunday. Their whereabouts are not known and as well as the reason of arrest.

“The spat of unwarranted action of the police of West Bengal is creating fear and trepidation in the mind of the Bhutanese refugee students in the state of West Bengal and depriving them from pursuing education smoothly,” Subba said, demanding immediate release of the students and other prisoners and an end to harassment of innocent refugees.

He added that there are also rumors that the West Bengal government is in the spree of sweeping the Bhutanese refugees from the state and the Hill council.

Stating that “an incident and action of few” should not be use as a premise to victimize the innocent people and that any action should be based on facts, HUROB accused the Indian government of being apathetic to the cause of Bhutanese refugees especially the Nepali speaking Bhutanese, adding that the recent action “has become one of the more reasons to believe in it.” nepalnews.com ag May 12 08