Assam DM orders 15 foreigners to return to Bangladesh within 24 hours

SILCHAR: The Assam authorities has presumption 15 individuals, who had been stated foreigners by Foreigners’ Tribunals, 24 hours to go out the tell and return to Bangladesh. The direction was given invoking the state’s powers under the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950.They have been asked to leave Assam via the Dhubri, Sribhumi or South Salmara–Mankachar route, all of which connect to Bangladesh.Nagaon District Magistrate Devashish Sharma issued the identical expulsion orders on Wednesday. Of the 15, six are currently lodged at the Matia Transit Camp in Goalpara, and another five are at the 7th Assam Police Battalion in Kokrajhar’s Charaikhola. The details of the remaining four individuals were not available.The orders said, “Whereas, in exercise of the power conferred under Section 2 of the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950 and delegated vide Notification bearing No. F. 17-1/50-Pak. III dated 20th March, 1950, directs you to remove yourself from the territory of Assam, India within 24 hours from receiving this order via the Dhubri / Sribhumi / South Salmara–Mankachar route.”“Further, you are intimated that in the event of any default in complying with this order, the Government would be compelled to take appropriate action to remove you from the territory of the State of Assam, India under the provisions of the above Act,” it added.Police officers said the 15 are in custody and the deportation process was being coordinated with the Border Security Force (BSF). The individuals are expected to be pushed back through the international border following the existing protocols.On November 19 this year, the Sonitpur district administration issued similar expulsion orders against five foreigners after the Foreigners’ Tribunal passed ex-parte opinions declaring the five individuals foreigners on the basis of a 2006 border police reference.But the five could not be traced, and the deportation order remained unimplemented.Among those declared foreigners are Jahura Khatun (48) of Kandhulimari in Dhing, Abdul Aziz (45) of Hedayat Nagar in Nagaon town, Aheda Khatun (46) of Bagariguri in Juria, Ajufa Khatun (45) of Garemati Khowa in Rupahihat, Hussain Ali (46) of Dighaliati in Raha, Fazila Khatun (55) of Hatiyujowa in Batadrava, Anura Begum (55) of Lengteng in Samaguri, Asha Khatun (59) of Shalbari in Samaguri, Nazrul Islama (55) of Chaparmukh town in Raha, Rahim Sheikh (46) and Burek Ali (60), both from Dighaliati in Raha, Idrish Ali (42) of Raha town, Rustam Ali (60) of Hatigaon Bagan in Kaliabor, Anwar Khan (73) of Garubandha in Jakhalabandha, and Taher Ali (58) of Goraimari in Kaliabor.Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, earlier this year, had said that suspected foreigners would be pushed back directly after being detained by the police, without intervention from Foreigners’ Tribunals.Sarma said that during hearings related to Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court observed that the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950 continued to be valid, and that District Magistrates could issue deportation orders once illegal migrants were detected by the police.“I was not aware of this fact earlier, but now we are going to deport the illegal migrants immediately after detecting them,” Sarma had said.On May 24, the Assam government launched a statewide crackdown on suspected illegal migrants, during which several individuals were pushed back through the Indo-Bangladesh border.Subsequently, the chief minister said that those with cases pending before the high court or Supreme Court would not be deported, but others would be deported directly without intervention from Foreigners’ Tribunals.On May 30, Sarma said nearly 30,000 declared foreigners were missing in the state and that the detection and deportation drive would continue. He said the police are identifying two categories of foreigners, those who entered Assam illegally in recent years and those already declared foreigners by tribunals. “We are doing this to protect this land from illegal migrants and to preserve the rights of the indigenous people,” he said.