“8 Alices in the Wonderland pushed back”: Assam CM on deportation of illegal Bangladeshis

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on October 21 that authorities had deported eight Bangladeshi nationals who allegedly entered India illegally, continuing the state's intensified crackdown on unauthorised border crossings.

In a pointed social media post, Sarma used unconventional imagery to convey his government's stance. "There are 7 wonders of the world and the 8th wonder is illegal infiltrators trying to sneak into Assam and capture our lands," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

"However, the good news is that we won't let these wonders wander around here in Assam anymore. 8 Alices in the Wonderland PUSHED BACK. Bye."

The deportation follows similar action just a day earlier, when the Chief Minister reported that 18 Bangladeshi nationals had been apprehended and sent back on October 20. Sarma had used a cricket metaphor at the time, comparing the deportations to cricketer Virat Kohli's signature straight drive shot.

"Just like Kohli's iconic Straight Drive, we are also executing PUSHBACKS straight back to the territory of illegal infiltrators," he stated in his October 20 post, noting the individuals were deported from Sribhumi district early that morning. He added that "Diwali is really the time when the good defeats the evil."

The state shares a porous 263-kilometre border with Bangladesh, making border security a persistent administrative challenge and a sensitive political issue in the region.