Vigilante Groups Intensify Illegal Immigrant Hunt In Assam's Sivasagar
Organisations including Jatiyo Sangrami Sena Asom, Ahom Jatiyo Ganamancha, AATASU, Sangrami Yuva Chatra Parishad, Tai Ahom Yuva Parishad, Anusuchit Jati Chatra Santha, and Jatiyo Sangrami Mahila Parishad, are part of this over drive in Sivasagar district.
They are demanding immediate detection and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi nationals and extended full support to the state government's ongoing eviction drives against encroachers on government land. Issuing a sharp warning, the groups declared that drives would intensify across Upper Assam this week.
The members of these vigilante groups are going door to door to verify people who are working as labourers, staying on rents to find out who among them are suspected illegal immigrants and asking them to leave the district immediately, the locals said.
Meanwhile, both the ruling BJP and the main opposition congress have started to target each other over this growing vigilantism in Upper Assam - a region which is seen as the road to power in Assam - with the elections in Assam slated to take place by April next year.
"India is a country for Indian citizens. Those who have entered illegally, without documentation and by force, cannot be allowed to stay. Congress's vote bank politics will no longer work," said BJP National Secretary Rituraj Sinha, while reiterating his party's firm stance against illegal immigration in Assam.
On the other hand, Leader of the Opposition and Congress MLA Debabrata Saikia accused the BJP of communalising the issue for political gain. He claimed that the eviction drives are targeting even indigenous people and that terms like "suspected foreigners" are being misused to harass minorities.
"In the name of evicting illegal immigrants, they are targeting poor Indian citizens from minority communities. This is nothing but a diversionary tactic to hide governance failures," Saikia said.
The Congress leader further challenged the BJP to release data on how many illegal immigrants have actually been deported over the past nine years. "Instead of real action, the government is creating a climate of fear and communal tension," he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
2 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Is cautious ‘Elephant-Dragon' tango making a comeback as Donald Trump tightens trade screws against India?
Synopsis India and China are showing signs of re-engagement. High-level visits and dialogues are being planned. Russia-India-China trilateral dialogue may revive. Despite this, trade tensions persist. The US has increased tariffs on Indian exports. This comes amid pressure on India's ties with Russia. It is unclear if India's strategic position is shifting. All these factors add complexity to the situation. AI generated image Just as the US announced new tariffs, raising it to 50 % on Indian exports, a cautious thaw appears to be taking shape in India-China relations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit China for the first time in seven years. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, External Affiar Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's recent visits to China signal a tentative improvement in bilateral ties, which have remained tense since the 2020 Galwan clashes, even as friction continues on trade, technology, and security activity between India and China has picked up pace in recent weeks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit China for the first time in seven years. Efforts are also underway to revive the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral dialogue, reflecting an attempt to engage on regional and global platforms. Last month, as per an ET report, India signaled willingness to consider reviving the long-inactive Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral dialogue, following renewed interest from Moscow. Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov had urged the resumption of the RIC format. Speaking at a conference, Lavrov said, "I would like to confirm our genuine interest in the earliest resumption of the work within the format of the troika -- Russia, India, China which was established many years ago on the initiative of Yevgeny Primakov."National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's recent visit to China focused on strategic and border security matters. His trip follows earlier visits by India's foreign and defence ministers, suggesting a coordinated effort to keep diplomatic channels open even as border tensions remain June, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting in Qingdao, China. He refused to back a joint statement that, according to Indian officials, would have weakened India's position on the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. As a result, the SCO did not issue a joint statement due to disagreements over terrorism. India and China are also in talks to resume direct passenger flights, which were suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic and border tensions. However, officials have not provided any timeline for the BRICS summit in Brazil, all member nations, including China, signed a joint statement condemning terrorism — marking a rare instance of alignment on India's security concerns. The statement specifically condemned the Pahalgam attack, where India had earlier faced pushback in other forums. India blamed Pakistan's involvement in the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 tourists were killed by ongoing diplomatic contacts, trade tensions persist. China recently delayed the shipment of a German-made tunnel boring machine intended for India's Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train this year, China temporarily halted rare earth exports to India, affecting the electric vehicle manufacturing sector. Some Indian producers warned of possible disruptions in India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) has also alleged that China is restricting the export of capital equipment vital for electronics manufacturing in India, potentially undercutting India's efforts to become an electronics production July, about 300 Chinese engineers working at Foxconn's Indian plants were reportedly ordered to return to China. The move was widely seen as an attempt to delay Apple's supply chain shift to India and slow the production ramp-up of latest US tariff hike on Indian exports comes amid growing friction over India's energy ties with Russia. The White House has defended the 50% tariff as part of its broader strategic response to countries continuing trade with Moscow.A bill pending in the US Senate proposes a 500% tariff on imports from countries that do not align with US policy on Russia, which could further strain India's export-driven sectors. China faces similar scrutiny from backchannel diplomacy, multilateral cooperation, and possible high-level visits point to cautious re-engagement with China, it remains unclear whether India's broader strategic posture is shifting. The Galwan incident, trade disputes, and regional security concerns continue to shape the same time, the rising economic pressure from the US adds a new layer of complexity. Whether this pushes India to hedge more visibly between Washington and Beijing remains an open question, shaped by both external pressures and domestic strategic priorities.
Mint
4 minutes ago
- Mint
'Shut up, lower your head & do as we say': Lovlina Borgohain accuses BFI official of ‘humiliation' - here' what happened
Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain has accused Boxing Federation of India's (BFI) executive director and interim committee member Col Arun Malik (Retd) for raising his voice against her and 'speaking aggressively' in a meeting that had boxing coach Pranamika Boro, respected individuals from Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and other BFI members. According to a TOI report, the incident took place during a TOPs meeting which was held virtually on July 8. Describing her experience one of the worst in her life, Borgohain stated she was 'deeply hurt, disheartened and also questioned the respect and dignity women athletes receive. Borgohain, who is a reigning middleweight world champion and a recipient of Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award, had already sent a complaint letter to sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Sports Authority of India director general Hari Ranjan Rao, TOPS division, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and BFI. In her letter, Borgohain wrote, "I write this letter not just as an athlete, but as a woman who has spent years carrying the hopes of a nation in the boxing ring — with pride, pain and perseverance. What happened during a recent official meeting with the BFI and the TOPS on July 8, 2024, at 12pm has left me deeply hurt, disheartened. "In the presence of respected individuals from TOPS, boxing coach Pranamika Boro, (other) BFI members, Mr Arun Malik, an official of BFI, humiliated me in a way no athlete should ever have to endure. He raised his voice at me, spoke in an aggressively demeaning manner, and blatantly told me to 'shut up, lower your head and do as we say'. 'His words were not only disrespectful but also carried an alarming tone of gender-discriminatory and authoritarian dominance — something that no one, especially a woman who has brought honour to the nation, should be subjected to,' the letter further added. 'In a space where I expected professionalism, support and mutual respect, I was made to feel small, unheard, and powerless. It was not just a personal insult — it was an attack on every woman athlete who dreams of standing tall, both in and outside the ring...,' Borgohain, who is part of the Indian contingent for the World Championships in Liverpool, further wrote in her letter. "I request the authorities for a fair and swift inquiry into Malik's conduct during the meeting and necessary disciplinary action if these actions are found to be in violation of acceptable conduct," she concluded.
Mint
4 minutes ago
- Mint
White House official reveals why US didn't tariff China for buying Russian oil: 'Don't want to get to a point…'
White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro explained on Thursday as to why the United Stated targeted India with a 50% tariff for buying Russian oil and not China even though the later buys more oil than India. "They [China] have not been targeted for that. So why is India having these tariffs," the reporter asked. In response, Navarro said the US wants to impose tariffs on China without hurting its own economy. "As the boss says, let's see what happens. Keep in mind that we have over 50 per cent tariffs on China already. We have over 50 per cent tariffs on China, so we don't want to get to a point where we actually hurt ourselves. And I think I've given a really good answer to that," Navarro said, as per C-SPAN. His statement came after the Trump administration issued an executive order slapping an additional 25 per cent tariffs on India for importing oil from Russia, which took the overall tariff on Indian goods to 50 per cent. 'We settled on 25 per cent but I think I'm going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours, because they're buying Russian oil,' Trump said Tuesday in a CNBC interview. The additional 25 per centtariffs on India would go into effect 21 days after the signing of the order, meaning that both India and Russia might have time to negotiate with the administration on the import taxes. Justifying the United States' 50% tariff on Indian goods, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said on Thursday that "the rationale for the Indian tariffs is very different from the reciprocal tariffs." In a statement to C-SPAN, he explained that the tariff on Indian products coming to the US 'was a pure national security issue associated with India's abject refusal to stop buying Russian oil.' Navarro criticised India's trade practices, calling it the "maharaja of tariffs" for maintaining some of the highest tariffs and non-tariff barriers on American goods. 'You start with the fact that India is the maharaja of tariffs,' he said. The White House official said President Donald Trump had drawn a clear line between economic and national security. Navarro went on to highlight the 'connection between economic security and national security.' "That's got to stop. That math doesn't work. The president understands the connection between economic security and national security. So that was the bottom line there," Navarro said.
