Historic Use of 1950 Law in Assam
In an unprecedented move, the Assam government has invoked the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act of 1950 for the first time since its revival earlier this year. The Sonitpur district administration has issued formal orders directing five individuals declared as foreigners to remove themselves from Indian territory within just 24 hours.
The Orders and Their Recipients
The dramatic development unfolded on Tuesday when Deputy Commissioner Ananda Kumar Das signed the expulsion orders targeting four women and one man from two families residing in Dhobokata village, Sonitpur district. According to the official documents, these individuals were declared foreigners by Foreigners Tribunal No. 2 in Sonitpur earlier this year, though their cases had been referred by border police back in 2006.
The orders explicitly state that the Deputy Commissioner considers their presence in Assam and India "detrimental to the interest of the general public" and a threat to the "internal security of the state." The five have been instructed to exit India via the Dhubri/Sribhumi/South Salmara-Mankachar route, which leads directly to Bangladesh.
Whereabouts Unknown: Police and Local Accounts
Following the issuance of these historic orders, a team of Sonitpur police visited Dhobokata village on Thursday only to discover that the individuals in question were nowhere to be found. Senior Superintendent of Police Barun Purkayastha confirmed to media that all five are currently "absconding and their whereabouts are unknown."
Local residents provided context to the mysterious disappearance. Zakir Hussain, a resident of a neighboring village, revealed that the two families haven't been seen in the area for over a decade. "They came to the village from somewhere in Central Assam and settled here 19-20 years ago," Hussain explained. "They were viewed with suspicion, and there were issues, after which some locals reported them to the border police. They left the village around that time itself."
The 1950 Act: Revival and Implications
The Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950 had remained dormant since its creation until the Assam cabinet approved standard operating procedures for its implementation in September this year. Originally drafted by the Union Government in response to pressure from the Assam government about migration from then East Pakistan post-Partition, the legislation grants significant powers to authorities.
The Act empowers the government to direct any person ordinarily resident outside India who came to Assam either before or after the Act's commencement to "remove himself or themselves" from Assam or India if their presence is deemed detrimental to public interest or Scheduled Tribes in Assam.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has emphasized that using this 1950 legislation would allow the state to "bypass diplomatic channels" that typically complicate deportation processes, which normally require mutual verification between countries about an individual's nationality.
The orders contain a stern warning that if the five individuals "default" on the removal directions, the government will take "appropriate action" to ensure their expulsion from Assam. Police authorities have confirmed that search operations are underway to locate the missing individuals.
