Guwahati: Thousands of students across Assam took to the streets on Tuesday in a coordinated “Satyagraha” protest organized by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), pressing for the immediate eviction of alleged illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and fundamentalist elements from the state.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a deceiver. The date of 16 May, which he mentioned in 2014( to send back Bangladeshi intruders )has still not arrived. After 11 years, he is once again warning infiltrators from the soil of Assam. Such warnings no longer reassure the people of Assam. Implement the Assam Accord and show us; expel the foreigners and show us,” said Utpal Sharma, president, AASU.
The demonstrations, held in district headquarters amid sporadic rain, highlighted long-standing grievances over border security and implementation of the historic Assam Accord.
“Instead of making flowery speeches and keeping silent afterwards, resolve the burning issues of Assam.Let this government admit its failure in not being able to seal the India-Bangladesh border.” said AASU General Secretary Samiran Phukan.
Protests erupted in multiple districts, including Golaghat, Nalbari, Biswanath, Dibrugarh, Sonari in Charaideo, and Hojai, where participants rallied with placards and chants demanding a permanent solution to illegal migration. In Sonari, over 500 AASU members marched from Swahid Udyan, emphasizing the need for word for word enforcement of the 1985 Assam Accord, which promised to detect and deport foreigners entering after March 25, 1971.
Similar scenes unfolded in Dibrugarh,Golaghat, Barpeta and Goalpara where hundreds gathered to call for stricter border measures and exclusion of Assam from the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. (CAA).
AASU leaders reiterated six key demands:expulsion of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and fundamentalists; full implementation of all clauses of the Assam Accord within a stipulated timeframe; sealing the India-Bangladesh border with “shoot-at-sight” orders; complete exemption of Assam from the CAA; swift action on Clause 6 recommendations from the Biplab Kumar Sarma committee to protect indigenous rights; a proper update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC); and exclusion from the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order 2025, which extends the CAA cut off to December 2024.
The union accused the central and state governments of betraying the Accord by allowing “illegal foreigners” to settle, turning Assam into a “grazing ground.”
Adverse weather disrupted events in some districts, prompting rescheduling to September 18 or 19, AASU sources confirmed. No major incidents of violence were reported, though police maintained a heavy presence.
The protests come amid heightened tensions over the recent government order reviving a 1950s law allowing district officials to expel suspected migrants overnight, which critics say targets Bengali Muslims and bypasses judicial processes.
AASU’s actions reflect broader anxieties in the Northeast about immigration, with similar demands echoed by regional student bodies.
As the campaign intensifies, observers note it could influence upcoming policy decisions on border security and citizenship.
The state government has yet to respond officially, but Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has previously vowed strict action against infiltrators.
A memorandum was submitted to chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma through regional officials.