GUWAHATI, Jan. 9 – Though the Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani recently stressed the need for deporting the foreign nationals illegally living in the country, the number of foreigners detected and deported from Assam came down drastically since the Illegal Migrants (Determinations by Tribunals) IMDT Act came into effect. However, the decision of the Government of India to issue multipurpose photo identity cards to all Indian citizens would check fresh influx from Bangladesh.
According to official records, more than three lakh foreigners were deported from Assam under the provisions of the Foreigners’ Act during the period from 1952 to 1984, but during the period from 1985 to 2002, only 1,501 Bangladeshi nationals were expelled from the country under the provisions of the IMDT Act, while 22,520 fresh Bangladeshi infiltrators were pushed back during the period.
Giving break up of the Bangladeshi nationals pushed back under the provisions of the ‘Foreigners’ Act, Border police sources said that during the period from 1952 to 1961, altogether 23,506 foreigners were pushed back from Assam. As many as 1,74,349 foreigners were deported from the Sate during the period from 1962 to 1966, 69,174 were deported between 1967 to 1973 and 58,148 were deported between 1974 to 1984. But the number of foreigners deported from Assam came down drastically after the IMDT Act came into effect. As per official records, during the period from 1985 to the end of 2002, as many as 3,57,169 enquiries under the IMDT Act were initiated 3,50,604 enquiries were completed, 3,36,647 cases were referred to the screening committees, 59,668 were referred to the tribunals. The IMDT tribunals disposed off 19,563 cases, declaring 10,806 persons as illegal migrants. But only 5,999 persons were served expulsion notices and 1,501 of them were expelled from the country. Border police sources said that as per the provisions of the IMDT Act. a person declared as illegal migrant by a tribunal has to be served with a notice to remove himself from the country, but normally a person goes into hiding after being declared a foreigner and he or she can also shift from one place to other during the grace period of 15 days after serving of the expulsion notice. Sources also admitted that under the provisions of the IMDT Act. the police can not detain suspected foreigner, can not search a person’s belongings and even can not seize anything ‘Because of these handicaps, the number of foreigners detected from the State has come down after the IMDT Act came into effect. Because of the Act, the foreigners entering India through the neighbouring States of West Bengal and Tripura also come to Assam’, sources pointed out.
However, sources pointed out that it is easy to deport a fresh infiltrator if the person is caught within five kilometres from the border and during the period from 1985 to 2002, more than 25,500 fresh infiltrators were pushed back from the State. This is where the second line of defence of police personnel, being posted behind the Border Security Forces, can play a vital role. Sources revealed that as per the proposal, 31 posts of the second line of defence would be created behind the BSF to check influx of foreigners from Bangladesh and so far construction of eleven such posts has been sanctioned. Each post of the second line of defence will be manned by one platoon of police men and already 1280 ex-servicemen have been engaged for the job, while, the remaining requirement of personnel will be filled up by redeployment of the existing Border police men.