“If we are reasonably sure they are illegal immigrants, we will push them back immediately,” the CM declared. (image-Facebook/Himanta Biswa Sarma)
Guwahati, Assam: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has asserted that individuals suspected to be “illegal immigrants” can be deported to Bangladesh even if they were included in the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
“If we are reasonably sure they are illegal immigrants, we will push them back immediately,” the chief minister declared.
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The statement follows the deportation of 19 “illegal immigrants” on Tuesday and an announcement that nine more would be “pushed back” on Wednesday. Sarma emphasised that the state would continue to deport those deemed foreigners under the 1950 Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, as supported by Supreme Court directives issued in February 2024.
Despite over 19 lakh individuals being excluded from the final NRC published in August 2019, the list has yet to be officially notified. BJP and Assamese nationalist groups have long demanded its verification, alleging fraudulent entries. Sarma echoed these sentiments, claiming that “many names were manipulatively and cleverly included in the NRC.”
Regardless of whether someone’s name is listed in the NRC or not, if the administration determines someone to be an illegal infiltrator, they will be pushed back from Assam.#AssamFirst pic.twitter.com/nok3froHQv
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 11, 2025
The chief minister also cited a recent Supreme Court observation that, under the 1950 Act, district commissioners have the authority to issue expulsion orders without judicial approval. “There is no legal requirement for the Assam government to always approach the judiciary in order to identify foreigners,” he said, referring to the court’s acknowledgement that the Immigrants Expulsion Order remains in force.
Foreigners Tribunals, the quasi-judicial bodies responsible for determining citizenship, have been accused of arbitrary decisions, often based on minor inconsistencies in documentation. Families of deported individuals have also complained of being uninformed about the whereabouts of their detained relatives, with some reportedly identifying them in videos from Bangladesh and alleging forced deportation.
Sarma also took aim at civil rights activist Harsh Mander, alleging that he manipulated the NRC process by sending Assam youths abroad and encouraging them to influence the registry. “These matters came to my knowledge after I became the chief minister,” he claimed.
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Under the Assam Accord of 1985, Section 6A of the Citizenship Act allowed migrants entering Assam between January 1, 1966, and March 24, 1971, to seek Indian citizenship. However, many indigenous Assamese groups view this provision as a legitimization of illegal immigration.
While the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A in October 2023, Sarma’s government has continued an aggressive campaign of detention and deportation. Since May 23, authorities have increased crackdowns across Assam, targeting those suspected of being “doubtful citizens.”
