Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that 18 foreign nationals who had entered the state illegally were apprehended and subsequently deported. However, he did not disclose details regarding their nationality or the routes through which they had entered India.
In a post on X, Sarma said the state government was maintaining strict vigilance along the border and taking firm action against illegal entry, asserting that Assam remained focused on development and growth while dealing decisively with infiltration.
Several districts of Assam — including Sribhumi, Cachar, Dhubri and South Salmara-Mankachar — share a 267.5-km international border with Bangladesh. The state has an Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Sutarkandi in Sribhumi district.
The Northeast has three ICPs along the India-Bangladesh border, the other two being at Dawki in Meghalaya and Akhaura in Tripura. Another ICP operates at Darranga in Assam along the India-Bhutan border.
ALSO READ: Court stay prevents immediate eviction of alleged encroachers in Karbi Anglong: Assam CM
Earlier, Assam Police had said that the state police and the Border Security Force (BSF) were working jointly to prevent any illegal entry from Bangladesh in accordance with the law, particularly in the wake of political unrest in the neighbouring country last year. Authorities had also clarified that Indian passport holders stranded in Bangladesh would be allowed to return through designated entry points in the state.
