Amid renewed debates in Assam over illegal immigration of Bengali Muslims from Bangladesh and rising incidents of attempted infiltration from the country after the fall of Sheikh Hasina govt, Assam govt today announced several measures to intensify efforts to deport illegal immigrants from Assam. The Himanta Biswa Sarma government on 7th September issued an office memorandum listing various measures to detect illegal immigrants and deport them.
The memorandum states that from January 2024 to date, a total of 54 illegal immigrants have been detected in the state. Of these, 45 individuals were successfully pushed back into their country of origin, while nine were arrested in Karimganj. “Additionally, there have been reports of suspected non-Indian nationals and foreign-origin individuals in certain areas of the State, particularly in Upper Assam and North Assam districts. The detection of such individuals is critical, given the potential threat to national security,” the notification said.
It states that in light of the above, and with a view to strengthening efforts to detect illegal immigrants entering Assam via its international borders, the Assam Police Border Organization has been directed to take all necessary preventive and precautionary measures to intensify detection and proactively curb the movement of illegal migrants, while taking steps to repatriate these individuals.
We are intensifying efforts to remove illegal immigrants from Assam. The State Government is initiating a series of coordinated actions that include enhanced surveillance, closer coordination with central agencies, additional deployment of force among others. @HMOIndia pic.twitter.com/DozR1GwTqJ
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 7, 2024
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma posted the detailed instructions to the Assam Border Police on X, saying that the State Government is initiating a series of coordinated actions that include enhanced surveillance, closer coordination with central agencies, additional deployment of force among others.
As per notification, the Assam Border Police has been directed to implement the below mentioned measures:
Strengthening Border Surveillance: Increase patrolling and surveillance in areas under the jurisdiction of Border Outposts to detect and prevent illegal border crossings.
Coordination with Border Security Agencies: Establish stronger coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF) and other Central agencies to facilitate seamless information sharing and joint operations for enhanced border security. Frequent meetings on monthly basis may be held by DGP, Assam with DG, BSF for effective coordination.
Regular Intelligence Gathering: Enhance intelligence-gathering mechanisms, focusing on cross-border networks and infiltration routes. Deploy trained personnel in key areas to gather and process actionable intelligence for timely intervention.
Community Engagement and Awareness: Conduct community awareness programmes in border areas to encourage local residents to report suspicious movements or new settlers, aiding in the early detection of potential illegal immigrants.
Timely Legal Action: Ensure that all identified cases of illegal immigrants are promptly documented and forwarded to the Foreigners Tribunals for adjudication.
Additional force deployment in border district: In the border districts, APHQ may make efforts to deploy additional forces as per ground level assessment to assist the Border Police in these sensitive border districts vulnerable to illegal influx. SPs of the border districts shall review the current strength and functioning of the Police Stations in the border areas and take additional support, if required from the APHQ.
Strengthening Border Outposts and Documentation: Intensify checks in areas under Border Outpost jurisdiction to identify suspicious individuals lacking valid identification or documentation. Periodic verification of records should be conducted to prevent illegal immigrants from evading detection.
Enumeration of Suspected Illegal Immigrants: Activate village/ field-level government functionaries such as VDPs, Gaon Panchayat members, and Land Revenue staff to gather information on new and unknown persons of suspected nationality. Upon receiving such information, conduct an enumeration of suspected illegal immigrants, including individuals involved in specific vocations, in consultation with Assam Police (HQ), District Administration, and District Police.
Identification of Absconding Individuals Declared as Foreigners: Launch sustained efforts to locate and apprehend individuals who have absconded after being declared foreigners by the Foreigners Tribunals or the Illegal Migrants Determination Tribunals and who are currently evading the police.
Capturing Biometrics and Aadhaar Numbers of Suspected Individuals: On identifying suspected individuals or families, their biometrics should be collected. If such individuals possess Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, Voter IDs, or passports, their numbers should be recorded for future reference.
Continued enforcement of provisions of the relevant provisions of Citizenship Amendment Act: All concerned in the Border Wing are directed to ensure that the instructions issued by the State Government in this regard vide No. eCF-488857/59 dated 05.07.2024 shall be kept in mind and strictly enforced while taking the steps in detection of illegal foreigners in the State.
The Inspector General of Police (Law & Order), Assam, will simultaneously issue detailed instructions to District Police units to provide necessary logistical support and security cover to the assigned teams. All wings of the Assam Police Border Organization are directed to prioritize the aforementioned tasks and submit monthly reports on the progress made and actions taken.
