Assam CM vows to stop illegal immigration, deports eight to Bangladesh

Guwahati, July 10 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday that the state police had deported eight individuals -- five Bangladeshis and three Rohingyas -- to Bangladesh in an early morning operation.

The group was intercepted in Cachar and Sribhumi districts before being deported to their native country.

In a post on social media platform X, CM Sarma said, "Protecting Assam's interests is foremost! Illegal infiltrators WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to stay in Assam and threaten our identity."

The decision reinforces the state government's hardline stance against unauthorised migration, a long-standing political issue in the region.

Authorities have intensified border surveillance amid concerns over illegal crossings.

Critics, however, question the humanitarian implications of such pushbacks, while supporters argue it is necessary to safeguard Assam's demographic balance.

Earlier, Chief Minister Sarma said: "We have put the security forces on high alert at the International Border following the unrest in Bangladesh to check infiltration. The police have detected a good number of illegal immigrants on a daily basis along the International Border; however, no Hindu infiltrator from Bangladesh was arrested in the last five months."

He noted that the people from the Hindu community immigrated from Bangladesh nearly 30 or 40 years ago, and the rest of the people have been living in the neighbouring country for different reasons.

"Most of the people from the Hindu community who had the desire to cross the border and come to India had come here nearly 30 or 40 years ago. The rest of the minority community people have been living in Bangladesh despite facing large-scale atrocities in the neighbouring country. I guess they have their own reasons for staying there -- maybe a love for the soil or patriotism towards Bangladesh," he said.

Chief Minister Sarma also noted that the Bangladeshi infiltration spiked up in the last few months due to the collapse of the textile industry in the neighbouring country, leaving many jobless there.

He said that the economy of Bangladesh has collapsed due to unrest, and the majority of the community were more affected than the minority section.

"So far, we have arrested around 1,000 Bangladeshi people in the last few months. They were pushed back immediately after their arrest," the Chief Minister added.

He also attributed the illegal infiltration to incentives offered by a few textile industry owners in India.

--IANS

tdr/khz