Guwahati, May 30 (IANS) Assam Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia has accused the state government of carrying out “unconstitutional detentions and illegal pushbacks” of Indian citizens along the India-Bangladesh border, prompting a formal appeal to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

In a letter on Friday, Saikia expressed “grave concern” over what he described as an ongoing “push back drive” by Assam Police since May 23. He alleged that hundreds of Indian nationals — many not facing any legal proceedings related to their citizenship — have been detained without due process.

While some were later released, Saikia criticised the operation’s lack of transparency and judicial oversight.

Citing media reports, the Congress leader claimed that several detainees, including women, were forcibly sent into the no-man’s-land separating India and Bangladesh.

With Dhaka refusing to accept these individuals, they now risk being rendered stateless.

“This operation is in clear violation of India’s constitutional values and international human rights standards,” Saikia wrote.

He warned that the Assam government’s actions also flout the Union government’s own deportation guidelines, which require “unambiguous verification of nationality” prior to any repatriation — a point he said was earlier affirmed by S. Jaishankar in Parliament.

Saikia also raised concerns about the communal implications of the drive, alleging that it disproportionately targets Muslim communities and could deepen social and religious divisions in the region. He further pointed to ongoing Supreme Court proceedings on related issues, calling the state’s actions a “grave breach of the judicial process”.

“Pushing Indian citizens into no-man’s-land without verification is unconstitutional and fundamentally inhumane,” Saikia said in a statement.

“Repatriation during the pendency of a Supreme Court case constitutes a serious violation of the judicial process.” Saikia urged the Centre to immediately intervene in the matter and suspend all ongoing deportation operations along with ensuring proper and transparent verification of nationality.

He concluded with a warning that “more lives will be destroyed” if the government fails to act against what he described as “reckless and illegal actions”.

–IANS

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