Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the state government will initiate the process of “pushing back” people to Bangladesh within a week of their being declared foreigners by the Foreigners’ Tribunals. He said the move aims to prevent delays caused by appeals to the Gauhati High Court or the Supreme Court.
Sarma said the government has already “pushed back” around 2,000 individuals over the past three months and has now adopted the practice as a formal policy under the revived 1950 Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act.
He said, “Once Foreigners’ Tribunals declare a person a foreigner, we will push them back within one week. The moment the tribunal identifies them, we will act. This non-compromising approach against illegal foreigners, long overdue, will gain momentum.”
The Chief Minister added that after the Supreme Court upheld the expulsion of illegal immigrants, the state has formalised the pushback policy. “This will bring a systemic change in handling foreigners in Assam,” he said.
Foreigners’ Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies that determine whether a person residing in Assam is an Indian citizen or a foreigner. Those declared foreigners can appeal against the tribunal’s order in the High Court or Supreme Court. Deportation typically requires verification of nationality with the concerned country’s authorities, a process that has historically delayed implementation.
Since May this year, Assam has been “pushing back” declared foreigners, referring to informal expulsion across the international border. In September, citing Supreme Court guidance to use the 1950 Act, the state framed a standard operating procedure to direct declared foreigners to leave within 24 hours, asserting legal backing for the process.
Sarma said the government earlier had no effective mechanism to act after authorities identified a person as a foreigner. “Earlier, such persons stayed in Assam even after detention and often secured bail years later. Now, the Union and state governments have made it clear that they will expel declared foreigners and that such persons have no right to remain,” he said.
The Chief Minister added that the process bypasses the need for a bilateral treaty with Bangladesh, traditionally seen as a prerequisite. “With this system, we can expel 10,000 to 50,000 foreigners if identified. While evictions marked the last five years, expulsions will define the next five years,” he said.