Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has stated that nearly 2,000 Indian nationals were pushed into Bangladesh over the past three months under a new deportation policy. The move follows rulings by Assam’s Foreigners Tribunals declaring individuals as illegal foreigners, after which they are expelled within seven days. The policy, implemented using a 1950 law, aims to prevent prolonged legal appeals. On December 31 alone, 18 people were reportedly sent across the border.

Currently, 100 Foreigners Tribunals are active in Assam to identify alleged foreigners. Critics claim many of these tribunals issue one-sided rulings, and while some individuals win appeals in the High Court, most cannot afford to challenge the verdicts and end up in detention camps. Reports suggest that some deportees have been returned by Bangladeshi border forces, while others have been jailed in Bangladesh.

Legal experts and human rights groups have questioned the legality of using the 1950 “Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Order,” arguing that it was created in a different historical context and is unconstitutional in today’s reality.