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Assam Intensifies Deportations of Illegal Migrants Irrespective of NRC Listing

Invoking the 1950 Immigrants Expulsion Act, Assam fast-tracks removals in response to doubts over the NRC’s legitimacy before a Supreme Court hearing

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Overview

  • Assam has returned over 330 individuals since June 7, including 19 on June 10 and nine more slated for deportation on June 11.
  • The state government is using the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, to sidestep court proceedings and empower district commissioners to evict suspected foreigners.
  • Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has ruled that administrative assessments will determine immigration status regardless of a person’s inclusion in the NRC.
  • The National Register of Citizens, released in 2019 without official notification, excluded more than 1.9 million applicants and is now subject to a state request for partial re-verification by the Supreme Court.
  • Human rights organizations and the Gauhati High Court have questioned the pace and transparency of detentions, prompting habeas corpus petitions in the Supreme Court.