14 declared foreigners arrested in Assam; sent to Matia camp

both declared foreigners by FTs (foreign tribunals) in Assam and those who were arrested in Assam for illegally entering from Bangladesh by violating visa provisions

A special team of Police in Assam’s Baksa district arrested fourteen persons who were declared foreigners by tribunals from various parts of the district on Wednesday, officials said.

Police said that after the arrest, they were sent to a specially built transit camp meant for declared foreigners at Matia in Goalpara district (File Photo)

Superintendent of police (SP) of Baksa district, Ujjal Pratim Baruah on Friday told HT that they had received orders from the court to arrest these declared foreigners and they acted accordingly.

“They were declared foreigners by tribunals in different times and we received a list of them with arrest orders. Accordingly, our special team conducted operations,” he said.

According to police, the arrested persons include nine women and five men, none of them are minor. “This includes both declared foreigners by FTs (foreign tribunals) in Assam and those who were arrested in Assam for illegally entering from Bangladesh by violating visa provisions,” police said.

They have been identified as Md Jahur All (79), Sarifa Begum Bibi (76), Siddique All (42), Faziran Begum (65), Anowara Khatoon (50), Musstt Rahiman Nessa (57), Pariman Nessa alias Kariman (30), Musstt. Houshi Khatoon (38), Md. Amzad Ali (72), Mukbul Hussain (60), Mafida Khatun (52), Hamida Begam (65), Jahanara Khatun (70) and Maij Uddin alias Shaij Uddin (55).

Police said that after the arrest, all of them were sent to a specially built transit camp meant for declared foreigners at Matia in Goalpara district and they will be deported to Bangladesh later, as per the protocol.

In recent years, many of the Bangladeshi illegal migrants were sent back to their country but none of those declared foreigners by FTs were pushed back.

Social activist Kamal Chakrabarty said that Bangladesh only takes back those who entered India from their country. They never accept those who were declared Bangladeshi by Indian FTs.

In April 2020, the Supreme Court of India asked the Assam Government to release the detainees who have completed two years in detention camps on bail. Many of them were released after that.

A large detention centre was opened in Goalpara’s Matia last year. Officially known as the “Matia Transit Camp,” built on a 28,800 sq ft area, received its first batch of foreigners on January 27 last year.

In March this year, Assam inspector general of prisons, Pubali Gohain, confirmed that all the inmates of the state’s six detention camps have been shifted to Matia transit camp.

The inmates include illegally entered nationals of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Senegal and many other African countries.