Assam repatriated 1,679 illegal immigrants to Bangladesh in two years: CM

Guwahati: The Assam government recently disclosed for the first time the number of suspected illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who have been “pushed back” under the revived Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950.

Replying during the Question Hour in the Assam Assembly, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said 193 people declared as foreigners by the state’s Foreigners Tribunals had been pushed into Bangladesh over the past two years, including 67 during the last one year.

Sarma also informed the House that a total of 1,679 illegal immigrants were repatriated to Bangladesh between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2026. However, he did not provide a year-wise breakup or further details of the deportations.

The disclosure comes amid Bangladesh’s continued opposition to India’s “pushback” policy, which has been adopted in recent years to return undocumented migrants across the border.

The Chief Minister reiterated that the repatriation process was being carried out under the provisions of the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, and said the government had ensured that the human rights of those being deported were protected. He added that individuals whose citizenship cases are pending before courts have not been repatriated.

In response to another question by Congress MLA Nurul Islam, Sarma said Assam currently has 91,385 “D-voters” (doubtful voters) on its electoral rolls. Of these, 56,728 have been declared foreigners by the Foreigners Tribunals, while 831 were subsequently upheld as illegal immigrants by higher courts. Sonitpur district has the highest number of D-voters at 13,719, followed by Barpeta with 8,081.