36 Bangladeshi nationals deported
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

Guwahati: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday claimed 36 Bangladeshi nationals were deported from Sribhumi and South Salmara districts.

The drive reignited the stateโ€™s volatile debate over immigration and identity.

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โ€œAlert eyes, swift action. 36 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators have been pushed back to Bangladesh from Sribhumi and South Salmara. These illegal infiltrators change our demography and infringe upon the rights of the indigenous and will be pushed back to where they belong,โ€ Sarma posted on X.

The announcement came just days after activist and former Planning Commission member Syeda Saiyidain Hameed questioned Assamโ€™s approach.

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โ€œAlhamdulillah! What is wrong if they are Bangladeshis? Bangladeshis are also humans. Earth is so large; Bangladeshis can live here,โ€ she said.

Her comments, made in the midst of eviction drives against suspected illegal immigrants, triggered a political storm.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju hit back sharply, accusing her of being โ€œmisleading in the name of humanityโ€ and undermining Indiaโ€™s sovereignty.

Hameed, however, defended her position with equally strong words.

She described the deportations as โ€œquamat (apocalypse) for Muslimsโ€, arguing that many families were being uprooted unjustly under the label of being Bangladeshis.

Also Read: Assam CM, Kiren Rijiju slam Syeda Hameed for backing Bangladeshis: โ€˜Assam not for infiltratorsโ€™

โ€œAllah has made this earth for humans, not for devils. Taking away homes and livelihoods is an act against humanity,โ€ she said, directly accusing the Assam government of targeting Muslims.

Hameed was joined by lawyer Prashant Bhushan, activist Harsh Mander and former bureaucrat Jawahar Sircar.

The delegation accused the Sarma government of โ€œillegally pushing Indian citizens into Bangladesh.

The episode has laid bare the sharp divide between the state government and rights groups.

Both sides are trading barbs at each other.

One invokes sovereignty, while the other speaks of humanity.

So the battle over migration in Assam has once again snowballed into a national flashpoint.

Manoj Kumar Ojha is a journalist based in Dumduma, Upper Assam, with over 10 years of experience reporting on politics, culture, health, and the environment. He specializes in Assam's cultural and social...