Assam Orders Expulsion of 15 Declared Foreign Nationals from Nagaon District

Expulsion Orders Issued in Assam

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 the state without the need for intervention from foreigners tribunals.

The individuals named 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 stated that their presence was deemed harmful to both public interest and the internal security of Assam.

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 provisions.

Currently, these 15 individuals are being held at the Matia Transit Camp in Goalpara district and at a police battalion facility in Kokrajhar, according to reports.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If the evidence is found lacking, the commissioner can issue an expulsion order under the 1950 Act, allowing only 24 hours for the individual to leave.

In June, the Chief Minister informed the Assembly about plans to invoke the 1950 law to further 'push back' suspected foreigners.

He asserted that the expulsion of declared foreigners is legally justified under the Immigrants Expulsion from Assam Act.