Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the Assam State government regarding a case concerning the “arbitrary arrest of declared foreigners and their illegal pushback.”
This development comes amidst growing concerns over the treatment of individuals identified as non-citizens by the state’s quasi-judicial Foreigners’ Tribunals.
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Foreigners’ Tribunals adjudge individuals as non-citizens, thereby declaring them “foreigners.” These tribunals receive referrals from the Assam Police’s border wing when there is suspicion of an individual being a foreign national.
The current case involves two brothers, Abu Bakkar Siddik and Akbar Ali. Their legal representatives claim that authorities have refused to provide details about their whereabouts since their arrest on May 25.
Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury, one of the six advocates representing the detainees, stated, “During the hearing today, the State counsel admitted that the border police have detained the brothers and hold them in custody.”
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The legal team also includes Aman Wadud, Dipesh K. Agarwal, Aniket Mishra, Abdul Motin, and Aminur Rahman.
Two days before the High Court’s notice, authorities allegedly pushed back 14 declared foreigners, including a 51-year-old teacher from central Assam’s Morigaon district, into Bangladesh from the South Salmara-Mankachar district.
However, the Border Security Force (BSF), which mans the frontier, countered these claims, asserting that they intercepted Bangladeshi nationals attempting to enter India illegally.
Reports indicate that Border Guard Bangladesh reportedly refused entry to these 14 individuals, both men and women, leaving them stranded in “no man’s land”—a neutral strip on the border. Sources