195 people still lodged at Assam detention centres, says Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday informed the assembly that 195 suspect individuals are still housed in Assam's six detention facilities, which are now known as transit camps.

"195 persons are still held at the state's transit camps,’’ Sarma said in a written reply during the ongoing Autumn session.

"According to Supreme Court decisions, 779 individuals have so far been released on bond from the centres’’, he added.

Out of those released, 778 are marking their presence by visiting local police stations every week while one person is absconding, said Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio.

There are currently six transit camps in Assam, which were built by combining parts of the jails in the districts of Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Jorhat, Silchar, Dibrugarh, and Tezpur.

The government is building the first dedicated centre at Matia in the Goalpara district, to put the suspected and declared foreigners found in Assam.

400 women will be among the 3,000 prisoners it can accommodate. All inmates lodged at other prison facilities will be relocated there once construction is complete.