Where have they gone?

While the Assam Government makes tall claims of acting tough on illegal migrants in the state, it now admits that many of them have gone missing after identification.

A total 38,186 illegal migrants from Bangladesh were declared foreigners by authorities in Assam since 1985 by the Foreigners’ Tribunals.

 Only 2,448 of the 38,186 Bangladeshi migrants identified by the Tribunal have been pushed back to Bangladesh while 68 are lodged in detention centres.

This has been stated by Assam Accord implementation minister Bhumidhar Barman in response to a starred question by Asom Gana Parishad legislator Phani Bhusan Choudhury on the floor of the Assam Assembly.

So what about 35,670 illegal migrants?

The figures tabled by the state government in the Assam Assembly have exposed the Tarun Gogoi government’s failure to deport illegal migrants to Bangladesh. The state government is saying that most of them had either absconded and some may have died.

Barman said that it was observed in many cases where a person has been declared as an illegal migrant by the courts, they either run away or change their names to avoid detection.

Unhappy with the minister's reply, legislator Choudhury also questioned as to why a person declared by the court as an illegal migrant is not immediately arrested and sent to detention centres.

On the other hand, former chief minister and AGP legislator Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said that without an extradition treaty with Bangladesh, it is not possible to drive out illegal migrants through the push back system.

He urged the Assam government to take up the subject of an extradition treaty with the central government.

Barman, while accepting the suggestion, said that Bangladeshi authorities are reluctant to accept the illegal migrants pushed back from the state.

Speaker Pranab Gogoi pointed out that even though this particular matter was discussed several times in the Assembly, it remains to be addressed.

He added that unless the Indo- Bangladesh border is sealed in the lines of India- Pakistan's border in the state of Punjab, this problem can never be solved.