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Assam Approves SOP to Expel Suspected Foreigners Under 1950 Law, Largely Bypassing Tribunals

The state cites an October 2024 Supreme Court reading of citizenship law to revive the statute for fast, administrative removals.

Overview

  • District commissioners and senior police can issue 10-day notices to suspected persons to prove citizenship and then order removal within 24 hours if the evidence is judged insufficient.
  • Unclear cases will be referred to Foreigners’ Tribunals, while cases already before the tribunals will continue under the existing process.
  • Officials will record biometric and demographic data on the Foreigners Identification Portal, with non-compliant persons sent to holding centres or transferred to border forces for expulsion.
  • Those detected near the zero line or within 12 hours of entry will be pushed back without further procedure, according to the SOP.
  • The chief minister said Bangladesh has formally accepted only 466 tribunal-declared foreigners as its nationals even as Assam reports over 30,000 past pushbacks, a policy that rights groups say raises due-process concerns.