Sribhumi, Dec 24: Eight Bangladesh nationals were detained in two separate incidents near the India–Bangladesh border in Assam’s Sribhumi district on Tuesday, triggering fresh concerns over border surveillance along the sensitive stretch.
The detainees were identified as Abbas Khan, Anwar Khan, Tahir Ali, Ayesha Khatun, Rustam Ali, Abdul Aziz and Idrish Ali. The eight individual’s name is yet to be ascertained.
They were later handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) at the Mahisashan camp for further legal action, officials said on Wednesday.
According to officials, the group was detained by members of the Village Defence Party (VDP) of Mantali village after allegedly crossing into Indian territory by cutting the border fencing around 3.30 pm on December 23.
VDP personnel reportedly became suspicious after noticing the individuals moving near the border and immediately alerted the police and the BSF.
“VDP members detained the Bangladeshi nationals at Mantali village along the India–Bangladesh border during routine patrolling. We informed the police and the BSF without delay. During questioning, the detainees confessed that they had crossed the border through Dewtoli village. Senior police officials and BSF commandants rushed to the spot early this morning,” said VDP member Sukul Nath.
Officials said the incident has raised serious questions about border management, as the same group had reportedly been sent back to Bangladesh on December 19.
Their reappearance on the Indian side within a short span has intensified concerns over possible gaps in border surveillance and enforcement mechanisms.
In a parallel development, another suspected Bangladesh national was apprehended by local residents on Tuesday night at Gach Kalibari Road in Sribhumi town and later handed over to the police. The individual, identified as a resident of Zakiganj, reportedly aroused suspicion after being seen wandering late at night.
Locals stopped him and allegedly recovered Bangladeshi currency from his possession. During questioning, he claimed to be a Bangladesh citizen and was taken into custody by Sribhumi police for further verification.
Earlier, on September 10, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that more than 30,000 illegal immigrants had been pushed back from Assam so far.
“We have pushed back almost 30,000 foreigners. The pushback figure has reached 30,120,” Sarma said during a press briefing in Guwahati.
Clarifying the data, the Chief Minister said the figure was not year-specific. “This is not year-wise data. It represents the total since we began implementing the pushback policy. It could span 10 years, five years, or even a few months,” he added.
The Assam government has since implemented a standard operating procedure under the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, empowering District Commissioners and Additional District Commissioners to issue 10-day notices to suspected foreigners, directing them to furnish documents establishing their citizenship.
The SOP was introduced following a Supreme Court constitutional bench order headed by Justice Surya Kant, along with directives issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
With inputs from IANS