As many as 13 foreign nationals attempting to enter India illegally were apprehended in Assam and subsequently pushed back across the border in accordance with the law.Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed the development on Tuesday even as he did not disclose further details regarding the origin or ethnicity of the apprehended individuals.Sarma, who has been vocal on the push-back drive of late, said the state government remains firm in its approach towards 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 stated on social media.
Notably, Assam shares a 267.5-kilometre-long international border with Bangladesh, covering Sribhumi, Cachar, Dhubri and South Salmara–Mankachar districts.An Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Sutarkandi in Sribhumi district of Barak Valley serves as a key official entry and exit point along the India-Bangladesh border.The region has three ICPs along the India-Bangladesh border, located at Sutarkandi (Assam), Dawki (Meghalaya) and Akhaura (Tripura). Additionally, Assam has another ICP at Darranga, situated along the India-Bhutan border.
The Assam Police had earlier had stated that in coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF), it would take all necessary measures to prevent illegal entry by non-Indian nationals from Bangladesh, particularly in the aftermath of political instability in the neighbouring country last year.However, authorities have clarified that Indian passport holders stranded in Bangladesh would be permitted to return through designated entry points in Assam, ensuring lawful and humanitarian handling of cross-border movement.
