Guwahati, Sep 18 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that the security forces have pushed back at least 20 Bangladeshi citizens for illegally crossing the international border to enter the Indian territory.

Taking to X handle, CM Sarma wrote: “Pushed back another set of 20 habitual offenders back to their base in Bangladesh. Our tolerance level to illegal immigrants is ZERO, and will continue to be as such.”

The state government has taken a strong stand against infiltration from Bangladesh with CM Sarma often issues warning for a looming threat of changing demography in Assam.

He accused the previous Congress governments for providing shelter to Bangladeshi infiltrators and the Chief Minister claimed that Bangladeshi infiltrators have been occupying the land of indigenous people.

CM Sarma earlier also asserted that although some of the Bangladeshi infiltrators managed to get Aadhaar cards, they can not enroll themselves in the voter list.

He said that there is no chance that people cross illegally the international border from Bangladesh and get themselves enrolled in the voter list in Assam because security forces have caught many people who illegally entered Indian territory and they were pushed back within a few hours.

“Most of the infiltrators were arrested in the morning around 5 a.m., and before 9 a.m. in the morning, they were pushed back to the neighbouring country. In two or three hours, they can not register themselves in the voter list.”

However, the Chief Minister sees no harm in remaining doubly vigilant in this matter.

“We have decided to take a slew of measures against the detection of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh because there might have been possibilities that a few infiltrators could not be arrested by the security personnel,” he added.

The Chief Minister argued that people from Bangladesh come to India as poverty has increased in the neighbouring country after the recent unrest following the departure of the Sheikh Hasina government there.

He also claimed that, contrary to conventional apprehension, mainly people who belong to the Muslim community have been trying to cross the border and enter India illegally for the sake of jobs.

–IANS

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