Assam Orders Expulsion of 15 Declared Foreign Nationals

Expulsion Orders Issued in Nagaon District

The authorities in Nagaon district, Assam, have mandated that 15 individuals identified as declared foreigners must exit the state within a 24-hour timeframe as of Wednesday.

This directive was issued by Devasish Sharma, the District Commissioner of Nagaon, under the provisions of the 1950 Immigrants Expulsion from Assam Act.

This legislation empowers district commissioners and senior police officials to expel "illegal migrants" from Assam without the need for intervention from foreigners tribunals.

The individuals listed in the expulsion orders include Jahura Khatun, Abdul Aziz, Aheda Khatun, Azufa Khatun, Hussain Ali, Fazila Khatun, Anura Begum, Asha Khatun, Nazrul Islam, Rahim Sheikh, Burek Ali, Idris Ali, Rustam Ali, Anwar Khan, and Taher Ali.

The orders state that their presence is considered harmful to both public interest and the internal security of the state.

The district commissioner instructed them to leave via the Dhubri, Sribhumi, or South Salmara-Mankachar routes.

Failure to comply with these orders could result in government action to forcibly remove them from the state as per the Act's stipulations.

Currently, these 15 individuals are being held at the Matia Transit Camp in Goalpara district and at a police battalion facility in Kokrajhar, as reported by a local news outlet.

Nagaon Superintendent of Police Swapnaneel Deka mentioned that there are 19 such cases, but expulsion orders were only issued for 15, as the remaining four are involved in ongoing court proceedings.

He also noted that police will accompany the 15 individuals to the India-Bangladesh border for their deportation.

In a similar instance in November, five declared foreigners were ordered to leave the Sonitpur district within 24 hours.

In September, the Assam Cabinet approved a standard operating procedure under the 1950 Act, which previously required cases of undocumented migrants to be processed through foreigners tribunals.

Chief Minister Sarma indicated that this new procedure would significantly reduce the role of foreigners tribunals.

These tribunals, which are quasi-judicial entities, have faced criticism for their arbitrary decisions, often declaring individuals as foreigners based on minor errors or insufficient documentation.

According to the new operating procedure, if a district commissioner receives information suggesting someone may be an "illegal immigrant," they will instruct that person to provide proof of citizenship within ten days.

If the evidence is deemed inadequate, the commissioner can issue an expulsion order under the 1950 Act, allowing for removal within 24 hours via specified routes.

In June, Sarma informed the Assembly of plans to utilize the 1950 law to further "push back" suspected foreigners.

The chief minister has asserted that the expulsion of declared foreigners is legally justified under the Immigrants Expulsion from Assam Act.