Assam Government Reveals Deportation of 193 Declared Foreigners Amid Ongoing Citizenship Controversies

In a revealing statement during the Assam Assembly session, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma disclosed that 193 individuals, identified as foreigners by state tribunals, have been expelled to Bangladesh over the past two years. This data has raised significant concerns regarding the state’s handling of citizenship and immigration issues, particularly in light of ongoing debates surrounding the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the status of migrants in Assam.

Among those deported was an infant girl who was forcibly taken across the border along with her mother, who had been categorized as a foreigner by the authorities. The Chief Minister noted that of the total 193, 67 were expelled under the 1950 Immigrants Expulsion from Assam Act, which allows district commissioners and senior police officials to remove illegal migrants without the oversight of foreigners tribunals, bypassing the traditional judicial process.

The Assam government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reported that between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2024, a total of 1,679 undocumented immigrants were repatriated to Bangladesh. This figure includes not only those declared foreigners but also convicted individuals and identified undocumented migrants. The announcement came in response to a query from All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Badruddin Ajmal, highlighting the ongoing tensions around citizenship verification and immigration policy in the northeastern state.

The release of this data coincided with a significant judicial development, as the Supreme Court of India overturned previous Gauhati High Court rulings that had declared 27 individuals as foreigners. The Supreme Court remanded these cases back to foreigners tribunals for reevaluation, emphasizing that matters of citizenship and foreign status possess profound constitutional implications.

As Assam continues to grapple with the complexities of immigration and citizenship, the government’s approach has come under scrutiny from various quarters, including civil society groups and political opponents. The issue remains contentious, with many advocating for more humane treatment of individuals caught in the web of legal definitions surrounding nationality. The recent deportations and the legal battles surrounding citizenship underscore the urgent need for a comprehensive and just framework to address the rights of individuals in Assam and the broader region.

Source: scroll.in