Guwahati: Assam Police on Saturday deported 18 Bangladeshi nationals who were staying illegally in the Cachar and Sribhumi districts without valid documentation.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed the operation through a social media post, where he referred to the deportation as a “special gesture of pushback.”
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He emphasized the state government’s commitment to intensifying its campaign against undocumented immigrants across Assam.
“Oh look who’s going back home?” the Chief Minister wrote. “In Assam, we warmly welcome guests, but those attempting to overstay illegally are met with the special gesture of PUSHBACK.”
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He noted that the early-morning operation successfully removed 18 illegal immigrants from the state, adding that authorities carried out the action in both Cachar and Sribhumi.
Assam Police have already begun a wider crackdown targeting undocumented foreigners, primarily Bangladeshi nationals, who are residing in the state without legal authorization.
Earlier, Sarma stated that Assam had deported around 330 illegal immigrants over the past month, with more expulsions planned in the near future.
However, security officials raised concerns about the execution of these pushbacks.
Officials reported that many deported individuals returned to Indian territory shortly after their expulsion. They added that the state conducted several deportations without coordinating with the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), which caused BGB personnel to turn some deportees away at the border.
Sources also revealed that BGB personnel refused to accept several individuals, mainly Muslims, allowing them to return to India.
These individuals reportedly re-entered India via the porous border in Meghalaya.
In response, authorities have launched a verification process to track the movements of those who re-entered the country.
Security teams are investigating recent media reports suggesting that individuals pushed back through no man’s land by the Border Security Force (BSF) may have crossed back into India through alternate routes.