Guwahati, Jan 6: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that 13 foreign nationals who were attempting to enter India illegally were apprehended in the state and subsequently pushed back across the international border in accordance with the law.
Confirming the development, Sarma did not disclose details regarding the nationality or ethnicity of the individuals apprehended.
In a post on social media platform X, the Chief Minister reiterated the state government’s firm stance against illegal immigration.
“We are committed to ensuring the rights of all illegal immigrants — their right to be in their homeland and their right to be pushed back. Respecting their rights, we pushed back 13 immigrants to the other side of the border,” he said.
Assam shares a 267.5-km-long international border with Bangladesh, passing through the districts of Sribhumi, Cachar, Dhubri and South Salmara–Mankachar.
The state has an Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Sutarkandi in Sribhumi district, which serves as a major official entry and exit point along the India-Bangladesh border.
The Northeast region has three ICPs along the India-Bangladesh border — at Sutarkandi in Assam, Dawki in Meghalaya and Akhaura in Tripura. Assam also has another ICP at Darranga along the India-Bhutan border.
Earlier, Assam Police had said that the state force, in coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF), would take all necessary measures to prevent illegal entry by non-Indian nationals from Bangladesh, particularly in the wake of political instability in the neighbouring country last year.
Authorities have, however, clarified that Indian passport holders stranded in Bangladesh would be allowed to return through designated entry points in Assam, ensuring lawful and humanitarian handling of cross-border movement
