Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday announced a new set of measures to intensify the identification and prevention of illegal immigration through the state’s international borders. Sarma expressed concern over the issuance of Aadhaar cards, saying more Aadhaar cards have been issued in Dhubri district than the population, raising the possibility that some suspicious persons have received Aadhaar cards.
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Sarma, highlighting concerns regarding the issuance of Aadhaar cards, said that Aadhaar cards have been issued to more people than the population in Dhubri district. It is possible that some suspicious persons have received Aadhaar cards. Therefore, the Assam government will issue a notification in the next 10 days. Stating that if someone does not apply for NRC, they will not get an Aadhaar card in the new process. This notification will not apply to tea garden areas from October 1, adults in other districts will have to undergo a strict process.
CM Sarma said that the process of detecting foreigners had almost stopped after the NRC update. ‘In recent months, we have either arrested or pushed back 20-30 Bangladeshi nationals. Today, we have issued orders to speed up the identification of illegal immigrants in Assam. We have published detailed guidelines to strengthen the process,’ he said.
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Since January 2024, Assam has identified 54 illegal immigrants: 48 in Karimganj district, 4 in Bongaigaon district, and one each in Haflong GRP and Dhubri district. Of these, 45 persons have been deported, while nine were arrested in Karimganj. Reports also indicate the presence of suspected non-Indian nationals in Upper Assam and North Assam districts, raising national security concerns. Meanwhile, the Assam government in a detailed order directed the Assam Police Border Organisation to expedite the identification of illegal migrants and take all necessary preventive and precautionary measures to proactively curb their movement.
