'Assam govt pushed back over 330 illegal infiltrators': CM Sarma

HORNBILL TV

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the state government had pushed back over 330 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators in recent months and would expedite the process further.

Guwahati (Assam) [India], June 10 (HBTV): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that the state government had pushed back over 330 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators in recent months and would expedite the process further.

Referring to the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act of 1950, Sarma stated that the ongoing effort to remove illegal infiltrators would continue with the support of a special provision in the Act that empowers district commissioners to identify and expel them.

‘In our vigorous fight against illegal infiltration, we draw strength from a special provision, which empowers DCs to identify and expel infiltrators from Assam. We have pushed back over 330 illegal infiltrators in the last few months, and this operation will be expedited in the coming days,’ Sarma said during a one-day special session of the Assam Assembly.

In an indirect attack on Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi, Sarma alleged that the government had identified 2,600 social media accounts writing about ‘Palestine and Assam’, allegedly operating from Islamabad and Riyadh, which showed support for a particular leader from Assam.

‘We have found around 2,600 Facebook accounts that write only about Palestine and Assam. They are operated from Islamabad, Riyadh and Saudi Arabia. They don't even welcome Rahul Gandhi, but welcome a particular leader of Assam. I have documents, and within 10–12 days, I will provide some such account information to the press,’ he said.

Sarma also emphasised that his identity as an Assamese took precedence over his constitutional position.

‘I am an Assamese first and Chief Minister later, and all my actions will reflect that. In our journey of safeguarding the interests of Assam, we do not dither in taking inspiration from former CMs,’ he said.

The Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act of 1950 empowers the government to expel illegal immigrants from Assam, specifying the procedures for identifying and removing individuals whose presence is deemed ‘detrimental to the interests of the general public’.

(ANI)