Silchar: A total of 39 Bangladeshi nationals, including women, children, and men, were pushed back from Assam’s Sribhumi sector of the India–Bangladesh international border in the early hours of Friday, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
“They entered without permission, we pushed back with precision. In the wee hours, 39 illegal infiltrators were PUSHED BACK from Sribhumi sector to Bangladesh,” Sarma wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday afternoon.
Earlier this week, the chief minister had said that the government was sending back illegal migrants using provisions of the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950.
The state cabinet approved the framing of a standard operating procedure (SOP) to intensify detection and deportation of illegal migrants under the Act on September 9.
According to Sarma, a total of 30,126 illegal migrants have been pushed back from Assam so far, most of them in recent times. In contrast, only 466 Bangladeshi nationals were formally deported through bilateral mechanisms, where Dhaka identified its citizens.
“We have pushed back over 30,000 illegal migrants. I can’t share the exact timeline — it may be over the last five or ten years — but with our new policy of invoking the 1950 law, the numbers will only rise,” Sarma said.
{{/usCountry}}“We have pushed back over 30,000 illegal migrants. I can’t share the exact timeline — it may be over the last five or ten years — but with our new policy of invoking the 1950 law, the numbers will only rise,” Sarma said.
{{/usCountry}}Last month, 51 Bangladeshi nationals were detained and pushed back from Sribhumi district within 48 hours. The chief minister had alleged that international rackets are aiding the infiltration.
During a visit to Silchar earlier this month, Sarma said that most illegal migrants enter Northeast India through Tripura, often by paying hefty sums to broker networks.
“They pay ₹20,000 per person for crossing the border. These rackets include several Indians, some of whom have already been arrested. Unfortunately, many of them are Hindus,” he said.
Reiterating his government’s stance, Sarma wrote on X on Friday: “We will hunt down every illegal infiltrator and send them back to their origins. Assam is NOT your breeding ground.”