‘Assam isn’t hungry, just vigilant’: Himanta Biswa Sarma says 18 Bangladeshis sent back after illegal entry

Assam has deported 18 foreign nationals who were found to have entered the state illegally, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, underlining what he described as a firm approach to border security.

Without disclosing details about their identity or country of origin, Sarma announced the action through a post on X, framing it as part of the state’s wider security and development priorities.

“They dream of starving India & taking over Assam & Northeast. Meanwhile, in Assam, we’re busy feeding development, driving growth and sending 18 illegals on an all-expense-paid exit tour,” he wrote, adding, “Too bad for them: Assam isn’t hungry, just vigilant and decisive!”

Assam shares a 267.5-km international border with Bangladesh across the districts of Sribhumi, Cachar, Dhubri and South Salmara-Mankachar, making the region a sensitive corridor for cross-border movement.

The state hosts an Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Sutarkandi in Sribhumi, one of three such facilities along the India-Bangladesh border in the Northeast. The other two ICPs are located at Dawki in Meghalaya and Akhaura in Tripura. An additional ICP operates at Darranga in Assam along the India-Bhutan border.

Security agencies have repeatedly flagged the need for heightened vigilance in the region following political unrest in Bangladesh last year. Assam Police had earlier stated that the state force, along with the Border Security Force, would act strictly under the law to prevent any attempt by non-Indians to enter the country illegally from Bangladesh.

At the same time, authorities clarified that Indian passport holders stranded in the neighbouring country would continue to be allowed to return through designated entry points in Assam.