Indian Supreme Court pulls up Assam govt on illegal migration

The Indian Supreme Court has pulled up the Assam State Government in the country's northeast for not addressing the issue of illegal migration from Bangladesh seriously enough.

New Delhi Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 1 April 2015, 05:12 AM
Updated : 1 April 2015, 05:12 AM

It has the Assam government to file a fresh affidavit within ten days as the last affidavit submitted by the state government was 'not good enough'.

The Supreme Court Bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and RF Nariman on Tuesday criticised the Assam Government for dragging its feet on the issue of detecting illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the State.

Monitoring its decision — passed on Dec 17 last year to set up 500 police posts throughout the State in order to curb the entry of illegal immigrants — the two Justices said they were appalled to read the affidavit filed by Assam government, which showed the state had failed to implement the SC's decision  even after three months.

“You have not addressed the issue with the seriousness it deserves. Instead of taking steps you have dragged your feet. Your affidavit is highly unsatisfactory,” said the Bench of Justices Gogoi and Nariman.

Giving another opportunity, the court directed the Assam Chief Secretary to file a detailed affidavit in ten days.

At one point, Justice Gogoi, who is himself from Assam, asked the state counsel: "You get hold of anyone on the street to file an affidavit before the highest court ? What does he know about the ground realities? Should we call him and test his knowledge?"

Posting the matter after two weeks, the Bench even directed the Centre to indicate progress regarding border-fencing and deportation of migrants.

Muslims of East Bengali origin in Assam running away after their houses were burned down by suspected Bodo militants in Khagrabari village of Assam’s Baksa district on May 3, 2014.

Additional Solicitor General Kishan Kaul was asked to file an affidavit on behalf of the Indian government on steps taken to fence the border with Bangladesh and other related issues.

In addition, the National Register of Citizens coordinator was also asked to be present on the next date to provide information on steps taken to updated NRC records with proof of citizenship and residence.

Our Assam Correspondent says: The SC's stricture against the Assam government may prove to an additional shot in the arm of Assamese regional groups and the BJP which has always attacked the state's ruling Congress of encouraging illegal migration from Bangladesh for alleged ‘votebank politics’.

Already some of these groups like the All Assam Students Union (AASU) are demanding 1951 as the benchmark year for determining bonafide residents and illegal migrants in Assam.

The AASU ran a six-year violent agitation from 1979 to 1985 demanding expulsion of so-called illegal migrants, during which nearly 5,000 people, mostly Bengali-speaking Hindus and Muslims were killed.