India’s Assam CM Threatens Unilateral ‘Push-In’ of Alleged Foreigners into Bangladesh: Alarming Implications for Dhaka

Reading Time: 3 minutes In a move that has sparked serious concern in diplomatic and security circles in Dhaka, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on 9 June that anyone identified as a “foreigner” in the Indian state of Assam will be forcibly pushed into Bangladesh without any legal or judicial process. The statement, delivered during a session of the Assam Legislative Assembly, marks a potential flashpoint in India-Bangladesh relations, with significant implications for regional stability and border security. The Chief Minister claimed that district collectors in Assam now have the authority to carry out such expulsions based on a reinvoked law dating back to 1950. Quoting a 2024 Supreme Court ruling, Sarma cited that individuals who entered Assam after 24 March 1971 are not entitled to Indian citizenship and must be repatriated. “From now on, anyone found to be a foreigner in Assam will be pushed into Bangladesh.