Detention-camp inmates will be shifted to suitable premises soon

GUWAHATI: The Assam Government has decided to shift the declared illegal foreigners currently lodged in detention camps attached with jails in the State, to suitable premises.

The government's move has come after the Gauhati High Court sought an explanation from the State Home department as to why the declared illegal foreigners were being kept in detention camps situated inside jails premises. The High Court also asked the Home department to arrange separate accommodation facilities for the illegal foreigners.

Assam has currently six detention camps attached with jails in Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Jorhat, Tezpur and Silchar.

Additional Chief Secretary of Home & Political department Jishnu Barua informed The Sentinel that the State Government will abide by the High Court's order. He said that since construction of a permanent detention centre at Matia in Goalpara district is yet to be completed, the government has decided to shift the detainees from the existing detention camps to alternative suitable places such as rented houses and buildings.

The Gauhati High Court had asked the State Government to file an affidavit on action taken report about suitable accommodation facilities for inmates at six detention camps by October 16, 2020.

Till March, 2020, altogether 3,331 illegal foreigners were detained at the detention camps in the State. As per the Supreme Court's directives, 350 detainees were released on bail with conditions, after they had completed two years in detention camps. Some other detainees were released on bails to ease the congestion in the detention camps after Coronavirus broke out in the State.

The State Government is currently constructing a modern detention centre with all facilities at Matia in Goalpara district to accommodate 3,000 inmates at a time.

In 2012, the Supreme Court had asked the States to refrain from keeping illegal foreigners with other criminals in jails as it deprives them of basic human rights and dignity.