Overview

• During a visit to Assam with a civil-society delegation, Syeda Hameed said Bangladeshis are humans who can live in the state and should not be stripped of rights.
• Union Minister Kiren Rijiju called the remarks “misleading in the name of humanity,” and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said “Bangladeshis are not welcome in Assam.”
• Asom Nagarik Sanmilan, which hosted the visit, said her comments were her personal opinion and not the forum’s position.
• Protesters, including Hindu Sena members, entered an event venue, and AASU denounced the remarks as anti-Assam and anti-national.
• Sarma publicised enforcement actions, saying 36 alleged illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators were deported from Sribhumi and South Salmara, as delegation members alleged access curbs and unlawful evictions.