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10 days after a deadly fire in a Rohingya refugee camp, a Bangladesh probe report suggests the blaze was a 'planned and purposeful act of sabotage'. Investigators say the fire broke out in several places at the same time, proving it was a planned act.

Bangladesh Panel: Fire at Rohingya camp, a sabotage | Inside South Asia

Watch South Asia Diary with Mariam Wardak: + UN rights chief in Bangladesh + Garbage chokes Nepal's holiest river + Elephants in Pakistan get root canals + Sri Lanka's rice crop stunted

South Asia Diary: UN rights chief visits Rohingya camp in Bangladesh | Jumbo root canal in Pakistan

Thousands of people have been left homeless after fire gutted parts of a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh here's a report

Fire swept through a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh

Bangladesh&nbsp;authorities on Thursday imposed a lockdown in five&nbsp;Rohingya&nbsp;refugee&nbsp;camps&nbsp;in the country's southeast&nbsp;after&nbsp;a&nbsp;spike&nbsp;in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">coronavirus</a> cases in recent days, officials said.

The restrictions barred gatherings and movement between&nbsp;camps, which are home to more than 100,000&nbsp;Rohingya&nbsp;refugees,&nbsp;Bangladesh's deputy refugee commissioner Shamsud Douza told AFP.

"We imposed the restrictions from today&nbsp;after&nbsp;sudden spikes in coronavirus cases in the five&nbsp;camps," he said, adding Wednesday saw a single-day record in new infections.

Bangladesh&nbsp;authorities have set up 34&nbsp;camps&nbsp;in the country's southeastern district of Cox's Bazar for nearly 900,000&nbsp;Rohingya&nbsp;refugees, who fled persecution and violence in Myanmar.&nbsp;

They included some 740,000&nbsp;Rohingya&nbsp;refugees who fled a deadly Myanmar military offensive in August 2017.

Douza said aid workers have been restricted in the&nbsp;camps, allowing only a bare minimum people who work in health, food and gas distribution to enter.

On Wednesday alone, 45&nbsp;Rohingya&nbsp;tested positive for the&nbsp;virus&nbsp;out of 247 tested, said local health coordinator Toha Bhuiyan. The same number was also tested positive on Thursday.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nepal-bangladesh-sri-lanka-nearly-out-of-covid-vaccines-say-officials-386537">Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka nearly out of Covid vaccines, say officials</a>

All five&nbsp;camps&nbsp;have been completely closed," he told AFP.

"The infection number is alarming," Anupom Barua, the Principal of Cox's Bazar Medical College, told AFP. Barua has been monitoring the coronavirus situation in the&nbsp;camps&nbsp;since last year.&nbsp;

Since the&nbsp;virus&nbsp;was detected last year in the&nbsp;camps,&nbsp;Bangladesh&nbsp;authorities have tightly controlled visitors entry into the area, amid fear that COVID-19 could wreck havoc in the squalid and extremely congested settlements.

The restrictions helped keep&nbsp;down&nbsp;cases and deaths.

An international aid worker told AFP that the authorities have already used loudspeakers to warn people in the&nbsp;camps&nbsp;of the restrictions.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/15-dead-400-missing-in-fire-at-rohingya-camp-in-bangladesh-says-un-372531">15 dead, 400 missing in fire at Rohingya camp in Bangladesh, says UN</a>

The worker said the number of cases have also jumped among the host Bangladeshi population in Teknaf, prompting the authorities to impose a lockdown in the southern-most border town.

A senior police officer told AFP that authorities have stepped up security and set up checkposts in the settlements.

Bangladesh&nbsp;launched a COVID-19 vaccination drive in February and some six million people have got one or two doses, but that campaign has not reached&nbsp;Rohingya&nbsp;refugees.

Bangladesh authorities on Thursday imposed a lockdown in five Rohingya refugee camps in the country's southeast after a spike in coronavirus cases in recent days, officials said.

Bangladesh authorities on Thursday imposed a lockdown in five Rohingya refugee camps in the country's southeast after a spike in coronavirus cases in recent days, officials said. The restrictions barred gatherings and movement between camps, which are home to more than 100,000 Rohingya refugees, Bangladesh's deputy refugee commissioner Shamsud Douza told AFP. "We imposed the restrictions from today after sudden spikes in coronavirus cases in the five camps," he said, adding Wednesday saw a single-day record in new infections. Bangladesh authorities have set up 34 camps in the country's southeastern district of Cox's Bazar for nearly 900,000 Rohingya refugees, who fled persecution and violence in Myanmar. They included some 740,000 Rohingya refugees who fled a deadly Myanmar military offensive in August 2017. Douza said aid workers have been restricted in the camps, allowing only a bare minimum people who work in health, food and gas distribution to enter. On Wednesday alone, 45 Rohingya tested positive for the virus out of 247 tested, said local health coordinator Toha Bhuiyan. The same number was also tested positive on Thursday. Also Read | Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka nearly out of Covid vaccines, say officials All five camps have been completely closed," he told AFP. "The infection number is alarming," Anupom Barua, the Principal of Cox's Bazar Medical College, told AFP. Barua has been monitoring the coronavirus situation in the camps since last year. Since the virus was detected last year in the camps, Bangladesh authorities have tightly controlled visitors entry into the area, amid fear that COVID-19 could wreck havoc in the squalid and extremely congested settlements. The restrictions helped keep down cases and deaths. An international aid worker told AFP that the authorities have already used loudspeakers to warn people in the camps of the restrictions. Also Read | 15 dead, 400 missing in fire at Rohingya camp in Bangladesh, says UN The worker said the number of cases have also jumped among the host Bangladeshi population in Teknaf, prompting the authorities to impose a lockdown in the southern-most border town. A senior police officer told AFP that authorities have stepped up security and set up checkposts in the settlements. Bangladesh launched a COVID-19 vaccination drive in February and some six million people have got one or two doses, but that campaign has not reached Rohingya refugees.

Bangladesh locks down Rohingya camps after virus spike

Images from witnesses showed a massive blaze consuming huts and scores of refugees fleeing on foot

Thousands of homes burn as fire sweeps Rohingya camp

Fifteen people have so far been confirmed dead and 400 are still missing in a huge blaze at the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, the United Nations said Tuesday.

"What we have seen in this fire is something we have never seen before in these camps. It is massive. It is devastating," Johannes van der Klaauw, the UN Refugee Agency's representative in Bangladesh, told reporters in Geneva via video-link from Dhaka.

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Bangladeshi officials are investigating the cause of the blaze even as officials, aid workers and families sift through the debris looking for further victims. The fire ripped through the Balukhali camp near the southeastern town of Cox's Bazar late on Monday, burning through thousands of shanties as people scrambled to save their meagre possessions.

Sanjeev Kafley, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies's delegation head in Bangladesh, said more than 17,000 shelters had been destroyed and tens of thousands of people displaced.

More than a thousand Red Cross staff and volunteers worked with fire services to extinguish the blaze, spread over four sections of the camp containing roughly 124,000 people, he said. That represents around one-tenth of an estimated 1 million&nbsp;Rohingya&nbsp;refugees in the area, Kafley said.

The UN's International Organization for Migration said it has pledged $1 million to relief efforts but a further $20 million would be required to react to the most urgent needs.

IOM spokeswoman Angela Wells said the fire had caused "catastrophic damage", and the health clinic run by the IOM, the camp's largest, was completely destroyed.

"The fire has since subsided, but not before consuming essential facilities in the camps, shelters and the personal belongings of tens of thousands of refugees.&nbsp;The cause of the fire is still unknown as are the exact number of casualties," she said.

Wells said the first responders were Rohingya volunteers who helped people to safety, supporting the fire response efforts and helping the relief efforts.&nbsp;

IOM teams worked through the night to help those who fled the scene.

"Today, families have begun to return to their plots of land," Wells told reporters.

"IOM is distributing emergency assistance to all those affected. This assistance includes shelter kits that will allow people to begin to rebuild their homes, as well as emergency items such as blankets, solar lights, mosquito nets, and jerry cans.&nbsp;

"With the start of the monsoon looming, rebuilding is critical.&nbsp;IOM will continue to help people reconstruct&nbsp;durable shelters,&nbsp;emergency latrines and the vital&nbsp;health facility."

Fifteen people have so far been confirmed dead and 400 are still missing in a huge blaze at the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, the United Nations said Tuesday.

Fifteen people have so far been confirmed dead and 400 are still missing in a huge blaze at the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, the United Nations said Tuesday. "What we have seen in this fire is something we have never seen before in these camps. It is massive. It is devastating," Johannes van der Klaauw, the UN Refugee Agency's representative in Bangladesh, told reporters in Geneva via video-link from Dhaka. Bangladeshi officials are investigating the cause of the blaze even as officials, aid workers and families sift through the debris looking for further victims. The fire ripped through the Balukhali camp near the southeastern town of Cox's Bazar late on Monday, burning through thousands of shanties as people scrambled to save their meagre possessions. Sanjeev Kafley, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies's delegation head in Bangladesh, said more than 17,000 shelters had been destroyed and tens of thousands of people displaced. More than a thousand Red Cross staff and volunteers worked with fire services to extinguish the blaze, spread over four sections of the camp containing roughly 124,000 people, he said. That represents around one-tenth of an estimated 1 million Rohingya refugees in the area, Kafley said. The UN's International Organization for Migration said it has pledged $1 million to relief efforts but a further $20 million would be required to react to the most urgent needs. IOM spokeswoman Angela Wells said the fire had caused "catastrophic damage", and the health clinic run by the IOM, the camp's largest, was completely destroyed. "The fire has since subsided, but not before consuming essential facilities in the camps, shelters and the personal belongings of tens of thousands of refugees. The cause of the fire is still unknown as are the exact number of casualties," she said. Wells said the first responders were Rohingya volunteers who helped people to safety, supporting the fire response efforts and helping the relief efforts. IOM teams worked through the night to help those who fled the scene. "Today, families have begun to return to their plots of land," Wells told reporters. "IOM is distributing emergency assistance to all those affected. This assistance includes shelter kits that will allow people to begin to rebuild their homes, as well as emergency items such as blankets, solar lights, mosquito nets, and jerry cans. "With the start of the monsoon looming, rebuilding is critical. IOM will continue to help people reconstruct durable shelters, emergency latrines and the vital health facility."

15 dead, 400 missing in fire at Rohingya camp in Bangladesh, says UN

Four persons have been killed and twenty others have been injured in violent clashes between two groups of Rohingyas over asserting dominance at the Lombasia camp in Kutupalong of Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar.&nbsp;

A member of Ansar also sustained bullet injuries during the series of clashes on Tuesday.

The police officials have said that the identity of the deceased could not be known immediately.

Md Rafiqul Islam, the Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration) of Cox's Bazar has said that "Clashes and gunfights were going on between two groups of Rohingya over establishing supremacy at the Lombasia camp for a few days. On Tuesday, three bullet-hit dead bodies and a severed head were recovered from the camp."

An additional armed battalion has been deployed in the camp after the incident.

Bangladesh is currently hosting more than 1.1 million Rohingyas in the coastal district. Factional clashes now occur more frequently at the camps. Earlier, three Rohingyas were killed during clashes on October 4-5.

(With inputs from agencies)

Four persons have been killed and twenty others have been injured in violent clashes between two groups of Rohingyas over asserting dominance at the Lombasia camp in Kutupalong of Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar.

Four persons have been killed and twenty others have been injured in violent clashes between two groups of Rohingyas over asserting dominance at the Lombasia camp in Kutupalong of Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar. A member of Ansar also sustained bullet injuries during the series of clashes on Tuesday. The police officials have said that the identity of the deceased could not be known immediately. Md Rafiqul Islam, the Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration) of Cox's Bazar has said that "Clashes and gunfights were going on between two groups of Rohingya over establishing supremacy at the Lombasia camp for a few days. On Tuesday, three bullet-hit dead bodies and a severed head were recovered from the camp." An additional armed battalion has been deployed in the camp after the incident. Bangladesh is currently hosting more than 1.1 million Rohingyas in the coastal district. Factional clashes now occur more frequently at the camps. Earlier, three Rohingyas were killed during clashes on October 4-5. (With inputs from agencies)

4 killed, 20 injured in violence at Bangladesh's Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camp

Bangladesh is set to erect barbed-wire fencing, guard towers and cameras around Rohingya camps, the home minister said Thursday citing security concerns, in a move critics said would turn the refugee settlements into prisons.

Dhaka has been growing frustrated with the Rohingya in Bangladesh who number nearly a million since the collapse of a recent repatriation attempt to encourage them to return home to Myanmar.

The stateless Muslim minority live in large camps in southeastern border towns, with the majority having fled Myanmar's Rakhine state in August 2017 after a military crackdown.

"There are three large camps. We'll fence the three camps with barbed wires," Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters Wednesday.

"Watchtowers and CCTV cameras" would also be set up to monitor activity in the Cox's Bazar district settlements, he added.

A rights activist, who asked to remain anonymous, condemned the move and said the fencing would "transform the camps into a big prison".

Refugees are already forbidden to leave the squalid camps, although their sprawling nature means authorities have been unable to police the Rohingya's movements.

Checkpoints set up on the main highways leading to the camps have stopped Rohingya and sent them back to the settlements when they try to travel to other parts of Bangladesh.

Hundreds of Rohingya found elsewhere in the South Asian nation have also been detained and returned to the camps.

Dhaka has been tightening the screws on the Rohingya amid rising impatience with their presence in the country, enacting several measures to restrict their activities in recent weeks.

These include blocking 3G and 4G mobile networks, confiscating SIM cards and mobile phones, and filing cases against hundreds of refugees for illegally obtaining citizenship cards.

Authorities say the internet ban was sparked by security fears after the Rohingya were blamed for murders and drug smuggling.

But the refugees fear they are being punished for refusing to move back to Rakhine unless their safety is guaranteed and they are given citizenship status in Myanmar.

UN experts have expressed "serious concerns" about the restrictions.

Bangladesh is set to erect barbed-wire fencing, guard towers and cameras around Rohingya camps, the home minister said Thursday citing security concerns, in a move critics said would turn the refugee settlements into prisons.

Bangladesh is set to erect barbed-wire fencing, guard towers and cameras around Rohingya camps, the home minister said Thursday citing security concerns, in a move critics said would turn the refugee settlements into prisons. Dhaka has been growing frustrated with the Rohingya in Bangladesh who number nearly a million since the collapse of a recent repatriation attempt to encourage them to return home to Myanmar. The stateless Muslim minority live in large camps in southeastern border towns, with the majority having fled Myanmar's Rakhine state in August 2017 after a military crackdown. "There are three large camps. We'll fence the three camps with barbed wires," Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters Wednesday. "Watchtowers and CCTV cameras" would also be set up to monitor activity in the Cox's Bazar district settlements, he added. A rights activist, who asked to remain anonymous, condemned the move and said the fencing would "transform the camps into a big prison". Refugees are already forbidden to leave the squalid camps, although their sprawling nature means authorities have been unable to police the Rohingya's movements. Checkpoints set up on the main highways leading to the camps have stopped Rohingya and sent them back to the settlements when they try to travel to other parts of Bangladesh. Hundreds of Rohingya found elsewhere in the South Asian nation have also been detained and returned to the camps. Dhaka has been tightening the screws on the Rohingya amid rising impatience with their presence in the country, enacting several measures to restrict their activities in recent weeks. These include blocking 3G and 4G mobile networks, confiscating SIM cards and mobile phones, and filing cases against hundreds of refugees for illegally obtaining citizenship cards. Authorities say the internet ban was sparked by security fears after the Rohingya were blamed for murders and drug smuggling. But the refugees fear they are being punished for refusing to move back to Rakhine unless their safety is guaranteed and they are given citizenship status in Myanmar. UN experts have expressed "serious concerns" about the restrictions.

Bangladesh to fence Rohingya camps in further crackdown

The Mizoram police deported eight young Rohingya women, suspected to be victims of human trafficking, to neighbouring Assam on Friday after they were arrested near the border of the two states in Kolasib district a day ago, police said.

The women, aged between 18-22, were arrested at the Vairengte police checkpoint on the Mizoram-Assam border while trying to enter the state without any valid travel documents on Thursday, the police said.

The eight women were produced before a fast-track court, which fined them Rs 50 each and ordered that they should be pushed back to Assam. The state police handed them to the Young Muslim Association (YMA) of Bagha town in Assam's Cachar district.

The women have been identified as Toyabah Begum, Tasim, Noorkayash, Atariza, Swaminara Begum, Rubina, Sanwara Begum and Serkhu.

The women said they were from the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar. They claimed that they were shopping at a market last Friday when a group of men abducted them. The Rohingya were taken away in a truck and brought to Silchar, the district headquarters of Cachar district.

The women said they were transported for Aizawl, where they were supposed to handed over to some people near a petrol pump at Zemabawk locality by the driver.&nbsp;

The Mizoram police deported eight young Rohingya women, suspected to be victims of human trafficking, to neighbouring Assam on Friday after they were arrested near the border of the two states in Kolasib district a day ago, police said.

The Mizoram police deported eight young Rohingya women, suspected to be victims of human trafficking, to neighbouring Assam on Friday after they were arrested near the border of the two states in Kolasib district a day ago, police said. The women, aged between 18-22, were arrested at the Vairengte police checkpoint on the Mizoram-Assam border while trying to enter the state without any valid travel documents on Thursday, the police said. The eight women were produced before a fast-track court, which fined them Rs 50 each and ordered that they should be pushed back to Assam. The state police handed them to the Young Muslim Association (YMA) of Bagha town in Assam's Cachar district. The women have been identified as Toyabah Begum, Tasim, Noorkayash, Atariza, Swaminara Begum, Rubina, Sanwara Begum and Serkhu. The women said they were from the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar. They claimed that they were shopping at a market last Friday when a group of men abducted them. The Rohingya were taken away in a truck and brought to Silchar, the district headquarters of Cachar district. The women said they were transported for Aizawl, where they were supposed to handed over to some people near a petrol pump at Zemabawk locality by the driver.

8 Rohingya women deported back to Assam by Mizoram police

Six Rohingya were killed early Friday after a blaze tore through an overcrowded camp for the persecuted minority in Myanmar's Rakhine state, the local fire service said.

Global attention has focused on the 720,000 Rohingya Muslims forced from the state's north into Bangladesh last year by a brutal military crackdown.

The UN Human Rights Council has accused top Myanmar generals of genocide over the bloody campaign, allegations the country strongly denies.

But less visible are the 129,000 Rohingya confined to squalid camps further south near the capital Sittwe following an earlier bout of violence in 2012.

Hundreds were killed that year in riots between Rakhine Buddhists and the stateless minority, who were corralled into destitute camps away from their former neighbours.

The conflagration in Ohndaw Chay camp, which houses some 4,000 Rohingya and lies 15 miles (24 kilometres) from Sittwe, started just before midnight and lasted several hours, fire department official Han Soe told AFP.

"Six people, one man and five women were killed," he said, adding that 15 communal longhouses were also destroyed in the blaze thought to have been started in a kitchen accident.

"We were able to bring the fire under control about 1:10 am this morning and had put it out completely by around 3 am," he said.&nbsp;

A total of 822 people were left without shelter, local media reported.

Conditions in the camps are dire and Rohingya trapped there have virtually no access to healthcare, education and work, relying on food handouts from aid agencies to survive.

Access into the camps is also tightly controlled, effectively cutting their inhabitants off from the outside world and leaving their plight largely forgotten.

Fires in the camps are common because of "severe" overcrowding, according to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"Many camp residents have built makeshift extensions to their shelters to create more space for their families. So when a fire breaks out, it is more likely to spread quickly," said OCHA spokesman Pierre Peron.

Hla Win, a Rohingya man from a nearby camp, told AFP that fire trucks were slow to arrive along the dilapidated roads from Sittwe and the lack of water also hampered efforts to extinguish the blaze.

"We have no ponds near the camps," he said. "That's why the fire destroyed so much."&nbsp;

Myanmar has vowed to close nearly 20 of the camps around Sittwe in the coming months.

Rights groups say the move will achieve little without ending movement restrictions or granting Rohingya a pathway to citizenship.

Six Rohingya were killed early Friday after a blaze tore through an overcrowded camp for the persecuted minority in Myanmar's Rakhine state, the local fire service said.

Six Rohingya were killed early Friday after a blaze tore through an overcrowded camp for the persecuted minority in Myanmar's Rakhine state, the local fire service said. Global attention has focused on the 720,000 Rohingya Muslims forced from the state's north into Bangladesh last year by a brutal military crackdown. The UN Human Rights Council has accused top Myanmar generals of genocide over the bloody campaign, allegations the country strongly denies. But less visible are the 129,000 Rohingya confined to squalid camps further south near the capital Sittwe following an earlier bout of violence in 2012. Hundreds were killed that year in riots between Rakhine Buddhists and the stateless minority, who were corralled into destitute camps away from their former neighbours. The conflagration in Ohndaw Chay camp, which houses some 4,000 Rohingya and lies 15 miles (24 kilometres) from Sittwe, started just before midnight and lasted several hours, fire department official Han Soe told AFP. "Six people, one man and five women were killed," he said, adding that 15 communal longhouses were also destroyed in the blaze thought to have been started in a kitchen accident. "We were able to bring the fire under control about 1:10 am this morning and had put it out completely by around 3 am," he said. A total of 822 people were left without shelter, local media reported. Conditions in the camps are dire and Rohingya trapped there have virtually no access to healthcare, education and work, relying on food handouts from aid agencies to survive. Access into the camps is also tightly controlled, effectively cutting their inhabitants off from the outside world and leaving their plight largely forgotten. Fires in the camps are common because of "severe" overcrowding, according to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "Many camp residents have built makeshift extensions to their shelters to create more space for their families. So when a fire breaks out, it is more likely to spread quickly," said OCHA spokesman Pierre Peron. Hla Win, a Rohingya man from a nearby camp, told AFP that fire trucks were slow to arrive along the dilapidated roads from Sittwe and the lack of water also hampered efforts to extinguish the blaze. "We have no ponds near the camps," he said. "That's why the fire destroyed so much." Myanmar has vowed to close nearly 20 of the camps around Sittwe in the coming months. Rights groups say the move will achieve little without ending movement restrictions or granting Rohingya a pathway to citizenship.

Six dead in fire at Rohingya camp in Myanmar

Police are investigating a fire that destroyed a Rohingya Muslim settlement in New Delhi last weekend after a Twitter user claimed responsibility for setting the blaze.

About 40,000 Rohingya from Myanmar have settled in India in recent years after fleeing violence, persecution and poverty at home.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has taken a tough stance on them since coming to power in 2014, calling them a security threat who should be deported.

The fire started early on Sunday and engulfed the shantytown, forcing its 226 residents to flee. No one was hurt but many of the Rohingya lost UN refugee documents.

It was the fourth fire in the settlement in six years and police said they were investigating its cause and the claim of responsibility.

"This is an open-ended investigation and we are looking into the Twitter matter," Chinmoy Biswal, a deputy commissioner of police, told Reuters.

"We are trying to find out more."

Delhi lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Thursday filed a complaint asking police to investigate the Twitter user who claimed responsibility for torching the houses of the "terrorists".

The tweet was later deleted.

Rohingya in India live mainly in Jammu, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi in the north, Hyderabad in the south, and Rajasthan in the west.

They face suspicion and resentment from many Indians at a time of simmering tension between some members of India's majority Hindu community and its Muslim minority.

About 700,000 Rohingya have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh since a Myanmar military crackdown in response to Rohingya militant attacks last August.

The government of India is concerned that Rohingya might try to enter illegally from Bangladesh.

It was the fourth fire in the settlement in six years

Police are investigating a fire that destroyed a Rohingya Muslim settlement in New Delhi last weekend after a Twitter user claimed responsibility for setting the blaze. About 40,000 Rohingya from Myanmar have settled in India in recent years after fleeing violence, persecution and poverty at home. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has taken a tough stance on them since coming to power in 2014, calling them a security threat who should be deported. The fire started early on Sunday and engulfed the shantytown, forcing its 226 residents to flee. No one was hurt but many of the Rohingya lost UN refugee documents. It was the fourth fire in the settlement in six years and police said they were investigating its cause and the claim of responsibility. "This is an open-ended investigation and we are looking into the Twitter matter," Chinmoy Biswal, a deputy commissioner of police, told Reuters. "We are trying to find out more." Delhi lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Thursday filed a complaint asking police to investigate the Twitter user who claimed responsibility for torching the houses of the "terrorists". The tweet was later deleted. Rohingya in India live mainly in Jammu, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi in the north, Hyderabad in the south, and Rajasthan in the west. They face suspicion and resentment from many Indians at a time of simmering tension between some members of India's majority Hindu community and its Muslim minority. About 700,000 Rohingya have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh since a Myanmar military crackdown in response to Rohingya militant attacks last August. The government of India is concerned that Rohingya might try to enter illegally from Bangladesh.

Police probe Twitter claim over fire at Rohingya camp in Delhi

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