An official said the External Affairs Ministry had taken up the matter with Myanmar, which has refused to accept them as its citizens.

Alarmed by the large number of Rohingya Muslims in possession of Aadhaar cards in Jammu, the Home Ministry held a high level meeting on Monday to discuss ways to send them back. Many Rohingyas were able to acquire the cards since Aadhaar is only a proof of identity and not citizenship.

A senior Home Ministry official said that Rohingya Muslims were not recognised by India as refugees and their stay here was illegal under the Foreigners Act. The Rohingyas had reached Jammu after entering India illegally, either through the Bangladesh or Myanmar border or through the sea route via Bay of Bengal.

An official said the External Affairs Ministry had taken up the matter with Myanmar, which has refused to accept them as its citizens.

Several posters and hoardings by political parties have sprung up in Jammu demanding that they be moved out of the region.

On Monday, State DGP S.P Vaid, Chief Secretary B.R Sharma and senior officials of the Border Security Force (BSF) met Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to chalk out a strategy to deport the Rohingyas.

According to the Home Ministry’s estimate, there are around 40,000 Rohingyas in India, of whom around 5,700 are in Jammu.