The Assam government has reported that 47,928 illegal immigrants were identified in the state between 1971 and 2014, with 43 percent of them being Hindus. These individuals were declared as foreigners by the state’s Foreigners’ Tribunals during this period.
In response to a written query from AGP MLA Ponakan Baruah, Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, who also oversees the Home Department, provided details that out of the 47,928 individuals declared as foreigners, 20,613 are Hindus, 27,309 are Muslims, and six belong to other religions.
State government data shows that among the 20,613 Hindus declared as illegal immigrants, 8,139 are from Cachar district, 2,884 from Guwahati city, 1,574 from Lakhimpur district, and 1,038 from Dibrugarh district. Conversely, among the 27,309 Muslims declared as illegal immigrants, 4,182 are from Jorhat district, 3,897 from Guwahati city, 2,829 from Dibrugarh district, 2,100 from Hojai district, 2,096 from Sivasagar district, 2,083 from Nagaon district, 2,013 from Cachar district, 1,710 from Lakhimpur district, and 1,172 from Morigaon district.
According to the Assam Accord, the cut-off date for identifying and deporting illegal migrants is midnight on March 24, 1971. Citing the 2011 census, Chief Minister Sarma noted that Assamese-speaking people make up 48.38 percent of the state’s population of 3.12 crore, while Bengali-speaking people account for 28.92 percent.
When asked by Baruah about concerns over the rising number of non-Assamese speakers and its impact on indigenous communities, Sarma stated that the government is closely monitoring the situation.
