Joint Assam Police–BSF operation sends 19 illegal immigrants back to Bangladesh

Assam intensifies its deportation drive, sending 19 illegal immigrants back to Bangladesh in a coordinated operation

December 22, 2025

Deportation drive continues as border vigilance increases

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reiterates state’s zero-tolerance policy

The Assam Police and the Border Security Force (BSF) have carried out a joint operation and deported 19 illegal immigrants to Bangladesh, officials said. The action comes amid heightened tensions and anti-India protests in Bangladesh following the killing of radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the deportation reflected the state government’s firm stance against illegal immigration. In a post on X, he said the operation was intended to send a clear message that unlawful stay in the state would not be tolerated.

In a full Doomsday moment, @assampolice & BSF assembled and snapped 🫰💥.
19 illegals from Nagaon & Karbi Anglong disappeared from India, reappeared in their hell hole
Message is crystal clear: Illegal stay in Assam? Endgame guaranteed. pic.twitter.com/IFLTUPngxz
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) December 21, 2025

Earlier this month, the District Magistrate of Assam’s Nagaon district directed 15 individuals declared as foreigners to leave the state within 24 hours. The order was issued under the provisions of the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950.

The individuals were instructed to exit Assam through designated routes—Dhubri, Sribhumi or South Salmara-Mankachar—all of which connect to Bangladesh. According to official records, six of them were lodged at the Matia Transit Camp in Goalpara district, five were housed at the 7th Assam Police Battalion in Charaikhola in Kokrajhar district, while the whereabouts of four others were not specified.

Orders issued on December 17 stated that all the individuals had been declared foreigners by Foreigners’ Tribunals.

Similar deportation directives were issued in November by the district administration in Sonitpur against five declared foreigners. However, police later said those individuals could not be traced, and the deportation process did not proceed.

Earlier this year, Chief Minister Sarma said that suspected illegal immigrants would be pushed back after detention without waiting for Foreigners’ Tribunal proceedings, citing observations made by a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court during hearings related to Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. He said the court had noted that the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, remains in force, empowering District Magistrates to issue deportation orders once illegal migrants are detected.

On May 30, Sarma said nearly 30,000 declared foreigners were missing in Assam and that the detection and deportation drive would continue. He added that authorities were identifying two categories of foreigners: recent illegal entrants and those already declared foreigners by tribunals.

The Chief Minister said the measures were aimed at protecting the rights of indigenous communities. Opposition parties, however, have raised concerns over the possible misuse of the 1950 law, warning that it could be used to target minorities.

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