Institutional Discourse on Rohingya in India: a Case of Othering

My research aims to address the implications of right-wing nationalism in India on Rohingya refugees within India. In this, I look specifically at the 2010’s into the early 2020’s, when the Bharatiya Janata Party assumed a supermajority. Through this, I look at institutions of the government – Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Executive to determine what policy framings are being used in discourse around Rohingya. This is a specific instance that may not be generalizable to other cases of right-wing nationalism. However, it may speak to other Muslim identity groups experience in India, specifically those barred from citizenship. I find that nationalism is used mostly in Parliament and the Executive, with the Supreme Court employing restrictions of personhood to Rohingya. Further, I find that Rohingya are used as a proxy for anti-Muslim sentiment through allegations of terrorism and residence in Jammu and Kashm