Assam will “push back” undocumented migrants into Bangladesh within a week of them being declared foreigners by the Foreigners’ Tribunals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday, adding that in the last three months, the Assam government had forced 2,000 persons into Bangladesh.
He said that this was adopted as a policy after the revival of the 1950 Immigrants Expulsion from Assam Act. The Act grants powers to district commissioners and senior superintendents of police to expel “illegal migrants” from the state by bypassing the Foreigners’ Tribunals. In September, the Assam Cabinet approved the framing of a standard operating procedure under the Act. Earlier, cases pertaining to undocumented migrants were handled by the Foreigners’ Tribunals.
Sarma said that the state government does “not need” a repatriation treaty between New Delhi and Dhaka for this.
He added that with the state government’s new policy, it has “bypassed the need” for a treaty between India and Bangladesh on the matter.
Through this, the state would be able to expel 10,000 to 50,000 undocumented migrants in a year if they are identified, Sarma said.
Foreigners’ Tribunals in Assam are quasi-judicial bodies that adjudicate matters of citizenship. Those declared foreigners by the tribunals have the option to appeal the decision before the Gauhati High Court or the Supreme Court of India.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.