Received my suspension orders on WhatsApp: Muslim BJP woman leader who spoke in favour of Rohingya refugees

Benezir Arfan, a minority woman leader in Assam who was suspended by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit for supporting Rohingya refugees said that she received her suspension letter on WhatsApp.

"I wasn't even given a chance to explain," she told ANI, adding that she wanted action against state president Ranjeet Das.

Earlier, BJP's state unit general secretary Dilip Saikia sent a letter to Arfan suspending her from the party with immediate effect.

She was also been given three days time to explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated against her.

“Despite being an active BJP member, you posted in social media seeking support for a programme organised by another organisation in connection with a problem related to Myanmar, without initiating any discussion about it in party platforms,” the letter said.

However, the woman has claimed that party did not even ask her to explain her position.

“My only mistake was that I wrote ‘a protest fast’ instead of a ‘prayer meeting’ for Rohingyas, both Hindus and Muslims, who died while fleeing Myanmar. I apologised for the wrong use of words, but the party didn’t listen,” she told Hindustan Times.

Last week, India strongly rejected the criticism by the UN human rights chief over its handling of Rohingya Muslim refugees.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju also said that the chorus of branding India as a villain is a calibrated design to tarnish country's image.

Some 40,000 Rohingyas have settled in India, and 16,000 of them have received refugee documentation, the UN estimates.

The United Nations have appealed to the entire international community to keep the political differences aside and support the ongoing humanitarian efforts to help Rohingya Muslim refugees.