Over 1.72 lakh foreigners identified in Assam; 1,572 pushed back and 117 expelled since 2025

The Assam Government on July 22 informed the Legislative Assembly that 1,72,673 illegal foreigners have been identified in the state as of May 31, 2026, based on records available with the Home and Political Department.

Replying to an unstarred question by MLA Akhil Gogoi, the government said the identified foreigners comprise 61,189 Hindus, 1,11,414 Muslims, and 70 persons belonging to Christian and other communities.

The government stated that the figures are based on records received from the Office of the State Coordinator of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), including the NRC supplementary list published on August 31, 2019, along with updated records maintained by the Registrar General of India (RGI). It added that access to NRC data is regulated through an Information Security Management System (ISMS) to ensure data security and protection.

According to the reply, 1,98,888 people had been identified as illegal foreigners in Assam up to May 31, 2026. Of these, 1,72,673 names have been incorporated in Annexure-A and shared with the Election Department. The government said that if any such individual is found in the electoral rolls, their names are removed after due legal procedures are followed.

The Assembly was also informed that 9,678 declared foreigners have already been deported to Bangladesh.

On the issue of deportation, the government said the process of "sending back" illegal foreigners to Bangladesh is being carried out in accordance with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines issued on May 2, 2025. It added that the process of expulsion is being undertaken under the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, following a state government notification issued on October 29, 2025.

Official figures placed before the House showed that 1,572 illegal foreigners have been sent back to Bangladesh since 2025, including 1,349 during 2025 and 223 up to June 30, 2026. During the same period, 117 foreigners have been expelled under the provisions of the law, comprising 47 in 2025 and 70 up to June 30, 2026.

The government further informed the Assembly that Assam shares a 263.059-km international border with Bangladesh, of which 228.531 km has already been fenced. It said fencing the remaining stretch remains challenging because of riverine terrain and other geographical constraints.

To strengthen border management, the government said the Border Security Force (BSF) has deployed advanced surveillance infrastructure, including the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS), observation posts, thermal imagers, pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras, drones, and water wing patrols along vulnerable stretches of the international border.

Responding to another part of the question, the government said the High-Level Committee constituted to recommend measures for implementing Clause 6 of the Assam Accord has already submitted its report to the Union Government. The recommendations are currently under examination by the Centre, while consultations with stakeholders are continuing before a final decision is taken.