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As part of a sweeping crackdown on “declared foreigners”, the Assam government has forced over 300 people over the border into Bangladesh since May – many of whom claim they are Indian citizens.
Many belong to the Bengali-origin Muslim community, long vilified as foreigners despite generations of living in the state.
Among them was Ufa Ali, 68, from Morigaon district was picked up by Assam Police on May 23. Shona Bhanu, 59, from Barpeta was detained two days later.
What followed was a harrowing journey that ended with them being forced across the Bangladesh border at gunpoint.
Scroll travelled to Assam to hear their stories.
“We were made to travel all night,” Ufa Ali recalled. “They took us to a BSF [Border Security Force] camp where we were given food. After food, everyone was handed 200 taka. We asked, ‘Why are you giving us Bangladeshi currency?’ They said, ‘You will need this.’ That’s when we realised what was about to happen.”
Both spent two nights at the Matia Detention Centre before being taken to a remote border crossing in the dead of night. Trapped in no man’s land between India and Bangladesh, they were caught in a terrifying standoff.
“They were readying the guns. We thought they would kill us,” Ali said. “They told us to enter [Bangladesh] or we would be shot. We were terrified. We had no option. We were forced to enter.”
“A group came and said, ‘You are framing your own countrymen as Bangladeshi. Why are you firing at them? Why are you harassing Indians?’” Bhanu recounted.
The state claims that these deportations are based on orders of Foreigners Tribunal orders. Unique to Assam, foreigners tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies that assess citizenship based on lineage and a 1971 cut-off date.
Foreigner tribunals have been accused of arbitrariness and bias, and declaring people foreigners on the basis of minor spelling mistakes, a lack of documents or lapses in memory.
In these cases, as in several others, there are glaring inconsistencies. Shona Bhanu’s deportation was stayed by the Supreme Court. Ufa Ali is listed in the National Register of Citizen, which was meant to be the definitive list of Indian citizens in Assam.
Yet, on May 31, Assam’s Chief Minister publicly confirmed: people declared foreigners by the tribunals were being “pushed back” into Bangladesh.
The Border Security Force and Assam police did not respond to Scroll’s questions about Ali and Bhanu’s return.
Also read: As Assam’s declared foreigners go ‘missing’ in police crackdown, panicked families seek answers
This article first appeared on Scroll.in
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