Archive · 13 Jan 2026
Assam's Stateless Crisis: Forced Expulsions and Pushbacks
In Assam, India, some people who have lived there all their lives are being told they are not Indian citizens.
These people, called 'declared foreigners,' are being forced to leave India and go to Bangladesh.
But Bangladesh does not want them either, so they are stuck in a no-man's-land between the two countries.
The Indian government is using a law from 1950 to send these people away, but many people think this is not fair and is against the law.
Families of these declared foreigners are very worried because they do not know where their loved ones are or what will happen to them.
Some people have been forced to go to Bangladesh three times and then sent back to India, making their situation very difficult.
Declared foreigners in Assam are being forced out of India into Bangladesh, but Bangladesh refuses to accept them.
At least seven Assam residents were forced into Bangladesh in December 2023, with some being pushed back multiple times.
The Assam government is using the 1950 Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act to bypass legal deportation processes.
Families of declared foreigners are struggling to locate and help their loved ones who are caught in a cycle of pushbacks.
Legal experts argue that the Assam government's actions violate international and constitutional norms.
- Who
- Declared foreigners from Assam, including Taher Ali and Idrish Ali
- What
- Forced expulsions and pushbacks across the Bangladesh border
- When
- Since May 2023, with recent incidents in December 2023
- Where
- Assam, India, and the border with Bangladesh
- Why
- Assam government's use of the 1950 law to expel declared foreigners
- Number of Expulsions
- 22 since November 2023
- Number of Pushbacks
- At least 7 since December 19, 2023
- Law Invoked
- Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950
- Detention Centers
- Tezpur, Matia, Kokrajhar
- Border Guard Bangladesh
- Refused entry to expelled individuals
- Foreigners Tribunals
- Quasi-judicial bodies determining citizenship
- Ex-Parte Orders
- Orders passed without hearing the accused
- High Court Involvement
- Gauhati High Court disposed of petitions