At first, I am an Assamese, then CM of the state: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Detection and push-back of illegal Bangladeshis to be expedited

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asserted during the one-day Assembly session today that the process for the detection and push-back of illegal Bangladeshis would be expedited in the coming days.

The CM stated this during a discussion in the Assembly on the pushback of illegal Bangladeshis and the alleged harassment caused to genuine Indian citizens during the process.

CM Dr Sarma said, “At first I am an Assamese, then the chief minister of the state. All my actions will reflect this. It is our duty to protect the Jati, Mati, Bheti and the culture of Assam. So, we will not ease up on the process to detect and push back illegal Bangladeshis from the state. In the last few months, we have already pushed back 303 illegal Bangladeshis, and another group of 35 such individuals are ready to be pushed back.”

The CM also said, “The way Pakistani and Bangladeshi elements are being observed in the state, we must be more active from all sides to save Assam. It has also come to our notice that around 2600 Facebook posts from Pakistan and Riyadh, etc., are constantly commenting on Palestine and Assam. We think this is the start of a conspiracy against Assam. Expediting the pushback process will also send a message to Bangladesh that it is not safe to illegally enter Assam.”

The CM stated that The Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, will be used to identify and deport illegal Bangladeshis. During a hearing on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court observed that the Immigrants Act, 1950, is still alive and that it can be used to identify and deport illegal migrants. The Act empowers the district commissioners to ascertain if an individual is an illegal migrant and take steps for the deportation of such individuals without going through the judicial process.

The Supreme Court has also observed that there is no connection between the NRC update process and the deportation of illegal migrants. A person whose name features in the NRC but is later found to be an illegal migrant may be deported. The Supreme Court has also directed the state government to secure the NRC data, and the process is going on and will be completed within one year. At the end of the process, rejection slips will be issued to people whose name has not been included in the final list of the NRC, and they will be able to appeal before the courts. The final draft has not been accepted by the state government, as it is apprehended that many people used unfair means to get their names included in the NRC. The state government has, therefore, appealed to the Supreme Court for re-verification of 20% of people in the border areas and 10% in the general areas of the state who have their names included in the NRC.

The CM further said, “We have examples in our hands that some people who were declared foreigners changed the spelling of their names and again got their names included in the voter list. We have not pushed back the declared foreigners who have appealed in courts and those who have their appeals pending in courts. There may be some instances where such people have been unintentionally pushed back.”

 Also Read: Contemplating on deporting B’deshis based on 1950 immigrants Act: CM

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