'Alert eyes, swift action': Assam CM on deportation of 36 Bangladeshi infiltrators

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the deportation of 36 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators from Sribhumi and South Salmara districts on August 25, declaring that such immigrants "change our demography and infringe upon the rights of the indigenous."

"Alert eyes, swift action. 36 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators have been pushed back to Bangladesh from Sribhumi and South Salmara. These illegal infiltrators change our demography and infringe upon the rights of the indigenous and will be pushed back to where they belong," Sarma tweeted on August 25.

The announcement comes amid a growing controversy sparked by remarks from activist and former Planning Commission member Syeda Saiyidain Hameed during her recent visit to Assam. Hameed questioned the state's stance on Bangladeshi residents, stating, "What is wrong if they are Bangladeshis? Bangladeshis are also humans. Earth is so large; Bangladeshis can live here."

Hameed's comments, made during ongoing eviction drives against illegal immigrants, have drawn sharp criticism from Union Minister Kiren Rijiju. The minister accused her of being "misleading in the name of humanity" and undermining India's sovereignty.

"It's about our land and identity. Why the minority Buddhists, Christians, Hindus & Sikhs in Bangladesh and Pakistan are persecuted & tortured?" Rijiju wrote on social media platform X, adding that Hameed "shouldn't support illegal migrants" despite her alleged connections to senior Congress leaders.

The activist had argued that evicting people from their land constitutes "quamat (apocalypse) for Muslims," claiming that "Allah has made this earth for humans, not for devils." She accused the Assam government of targeting Muslims by labelling them as Bangladeshis and dismissed claims about illegal immigrants infringing on Indian citizens' rights as "extremely mischievous and detrimental to humanity."

Hameed visited Assam with a delegation including lawyer Prashant Bhushan, activist Harsh Mandar, and former bureaucrat Jawahar Sircar to assess citizenship issues and the treatment of Muslims in the state. Bhushan alleged that the state government under Sarma is "engaged in unlawful and illegal activities, including pushing out Indian citizens to Bangladesh, evicting people from their land, and demolishing homes."