A room of one’s own: Why Rohingya refugees keep returning to Aligarh

Rohingya refugees pooled together money to build this school that doubles up as a community centre where they hold their meetings ( Photo: Mohammad Zubeir)

Guran Miya (30), a Rohingya refugee, returned with his family to Aligarh in mid-2018, just nine months after he had left.

During this time, he lived in Bangalore and then Hyderabad. It was a struggle, especially in Hyderabad, where he lived in a refugee camp. He says that people had to get in line to use the toilet and there was also a lack of privacy, especially for his wife, when she went to take a bath.

Though he lived rent-free in both the cities, he says that he prefers to pay Rs 1200 per month for a room that he rents in Aligarh.

“Wahaan izzat nahi hai,” (There was no sense of dignity living there), he says. Continue reading on Twocircles.net