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51 Bangladeshi infiltrators detained, pushed back in 3 days: Assam CM
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma the state government would continue its crackdown against illegal infiltration from Bangladesh
Silchar: A total of 51 suspected Bangladeshi nationals, who had allegedly entered Assam illegally, were detained near the international border in Sribhumi (formerly Karimganj) district between Sunday and Tuesday, and subsequently pushed back, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
According to Sarma, 30 infiltrators were detained on Sunday (August 24) and 21 were caught on Tuesday (August 26) near the Sribhumi border.
“In two separate instances, we PUSHED BACK 21 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators from the Sribhumi sector, further bolstering our anti-infiltration efforts,” the chief minister posted on X on Tuesday evening.
He added that the state government would continue its crackdown against illegal infiltration from Bangladesh. “HIT where it hurts the most, send them back to their host. These drives WILL CONTINUE UNABATED,” he wrote.
On Sunday, the Assam Police had detained 36 Bangladeshi nationals, who were later pushed back. Of them, 30 were caught in Sribhumi, while six others — including two children — were detained in South Salmara Mankachar district.
Sharing details on Monday, Sarma wrote: “Alert eyes, swift action. 36 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators have been pushed back to Bangladesh from Sribhumi and South Salmara.”
He further said: “These illegal infiltrators change our demography and infringe upon the rights of the indigenous, and will be pushed back to where they belong.”
Police officials said the 30 people caught in Sribhumi on Sunday morning included several women and children. “They were spotted near the international border and it is suspected that they entered India recently,” a senior officer said.
“We interrogated them and, as per procedure, they were pushed back to Bangladesh with the help of the Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday night,” the officer added.
In South Salmara Mankachar, six Bangladeshi nationals were detained and pushed back on Sunday night.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP), South Salmara Mankachar, Horen Tokbi said the group included two men, two women and two children aged one and three years. “They had travelled from Jammu and Kashmir by train to Guwahati, and from there by road to our district to cross the border illegally. But before they could succeed, our teams managed to catch them,” Tokbi said.
Chief minister Sarma has repeatedly flagged illegal infiltration as a grave threat. He said that while many infiltrators have been caught over the past year, a large number managed to evade detection and are suspected to be living in Assam with forged documents.
To address this, the state government has decided to halt Aadhaar enrolment for individuals above 18 years of age, in a bid to identify and track suspected illegal migrants residing in the state.
