Indian pushes 33 more alleged migrants into Bangladesh: Assam CM
Earlier this week, Sarma said police had been “pushing back” 70 to 100 people each week, according to the Press Trust of India. On May 20, he told reporters the state was “duty-bound to protect the interests of Assam and expel all illegal immigrants from the state through any means and as per directions of [the] Supreme Court.”
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday that 33 more "illegal infiltrators" had been "pushed back" into neighbouring Bangladesh, taking the total to more than 450 in recent months.
Sarma, a leader of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), did not specify from which districts the individuals were detained, says Scroll.
He said "stringent efforts" to identify and deport undocumented immigrants were underway and would be "intensified in the coming days."
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Earlier this week, Sarma said police had been "pushing back" 70 to 100 people each week, according to the Press Trust of India. On May 20, he told reporters the state was "duty-bound to protect the interests of Assam and expel all illegal immigrants from the state through any means and as per directions of [the] Supreme Court."
The campaign has drawn criticism. Assam opposition leader Debabrata Saikia wrote to Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar in May, saying the pushbacks "appear to target Muslim communities, undermining India's secular fabric." He also cited reports that some detainees were left in no man's land on the border after Bangladesh refused to accept them.
Rights groups and local media have reported cases of Indian citizens being mistakenly expelled, with some later returning after authorities confirmed their nationality.
