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The Wire
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Poor Muslims, Uneducated, But Regular With Routine Police Visits: The People Assam Is 'Pushing Back' into Bangladesh
Barpeta (Assam): On May 25, Hazera Khatun (60) and Shona Bhanu (58) – both from Barpeta district in Assam – left their homes with a rare sense of hope. They were summoned to the Superintendent of Police's office in Barpeta and allegedly told that their long-standing 'foreigner cases' were about to be dismissed. 'They told us, 'You've been fighting this case for years. After this meeting, it will all be over',' Khatun said. 'We were tired and broken after fighting for many years – so we believed them. We thought Allah had finally answered our prayers," she added. That hope lasted only a few hours. By evening, they were locked inside a room, denied food or water, and then forced into police vehicles. They were taken to the Matia Transit Camp in Goalpara district, the largest detention facility in India for those that the government calls 'illegal foreigners.' In May 2025, the Assam government launched a sudden and sweeping crackdown on individuals it labelled 'illegal foreigners'. As part of the drive, the government detained and also deported those who were previously declared 'foreigners'. Most of them happened to be elderly Muslims of East Bengal origin. Both women were among the more than 300 people who were "pushed back" – a term increasingly being used by the government – to Bangladesh, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed in a legislative assembly session on June 9. Sarma said the 'illegal foreigners' were pushed back to Bangladesh under the The Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950. On May 27 at dawn, 14 people including Khatun and Bhanu were taken towards the Indo-Bangladesh border and Kurigram district in Bangladesh. Personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) forced both women to walk through jungle paths at gunpoint, they said. 'We had to cross the border because we were terrified,' said Bhanu. By morning of May 28, the women found themselves on no man's land in what they suspect was the Kurigram district in Bangladesh. 'We were left like animals,' Khatun said. 'We stood in knee-deep water, under the blazing sun, without food, medicine, or a place to sit," she added. Border Guard Bangladesh soon found them. They said the BGB detained them in an open field for the entire day, and then shifted them to a makeshift shelter. There, they were given a barebones meal. 'We were drenched, bitten by mosquitoes, and almost left to die,' Bhanu said. D-voters Khatun and Bhanu's nightmare began more than a decade ago, when they were each marked as D-voters or 'doubtful voters' – by the Election Commission. The D-voter category, introduced in 1997, allows electoral officials to flag individuals whose citizenship is suspected. Once marked as D-voters, individuals' names are referred to Foreigners' Tribunals (FTs) which have been set up across Assam by the government since 1964. FTs have often been reported to operate without transparency. Most of the people declared 'foreigners' by FTs are poor, illiterate, and Muslims of East Bengal origin. Spelling variations or missing documents can result in lifelong statelessness in the FTs' eyes. FTs in Assam had declared more than 1.5 lakh people 'foreigners' by the end of 2023. Among those declared 'foreigners', a major portion is uneducated women who were often married off before they were of legal age, making it difficult for them to establish a connection with their parents. Many Muslim families of East Bengali origin, however, have been living in Assam for generations. 'I had all my documents,' Khatun said. 'Land records, voter lists and labin naama (marriage certificate). Still, they called me a foreigner. I was born here. My parents and grandparents were born here.' 'I cannot prove myself a Bangladeshi citizen. But I can prove that I am an Indian citizen," Banu said. Khatun and Bhanu say that they had been declared foreigners years ago by the FT and were held in detention camps for over three years each. Their families managed to secure bail after appealing to the Gauhati high court. Both were released on the condition that they would report to their respective police stations once a week. The foreigners' tribunal at Barpeta. Photo: Kazi Sharowar Hussain. "Since her release, she has never missed a single date,' Khatun's daughter, Jorina Begum, said. 'Every Wednesday, no matter how ill she was or how bad the weather was, she went to the Barpeta Road police station." The 'push back' policy adopted by various state governments now bypasses India's legal and constitutional procedures. Lawyers say that no Indian law allows for 'pushbacks' – only deportation orders issued by the Union government, with diplomatic coordination and proof of nationality, are permitted. 'The Assam government is bypassing the law,' a Dhubri-based lawyer who chose to remain anonymous said. 'These are not deportations. These are illegal pushbacks that render people stateless.' Both Khatun and Bhanu spent at least two days in the makeshift camp in Bangladesh. After that, the Bangladesh government officially declared that the people found in different border areas are not Bangladeshi citizens. The women, along with 12 others, were eventually loaded into a vehicle again and brought back across the border — quietly, without any formal process or announcement. 'We thought they were going to kill us,' Khatun said. 'We were drenched, shivering, and starving. My chest hurt so badly, I truly thought I was going to die.' Both women were found on the highway near Goalpara on May 31 where the group split and Khatun and Bhanu were left behind. Their family members, with the help of local residents, rescued them from the spot where they had been dropped off. 'We received a phone call around 11.45 pm saying that two women had been found getting drenched in the rain,' said Bhanu's brother, Ashraf Ali. 'One of them was my sister' The Matia detention centre. Photo: Kazi Sharowar Hussain. Khatun's daughter said she had fallen sick and needed to go to the hospital for treatment. Khatun and Bhanu are still haunted by the incident. Khatun has grown physically weaker, while Bhanu has lost faith in people. 'I will die of a heart attack if I see the police once again,' said Khatun. Missing On the same Sunday, May 25, 70-year-old Karim Ali, a resident of Jania village in Barpeta district, also reported to the Superintendent of Police's office. A day earlier, his son Mannan Ali had received a phone call from the local police station, informing him that senior officials wanted to meet his father and that his "foreigner case" might be dismissed. Following the call, Karim Ali arrived at the SP office accompanied by his son. But no meeting took place. 'They told us to wait. Suddenly, I was pushed out of the gate, and my father was locked inside,' Mannan recalled. 'Later, a large police vehicle came and took him away.' Karim Ali had previously spent five years in a detention centre in Goalpara District Jail – before the Matia detention centre started functioning – after being declared a foreigner by a high court order. He was released during the COVID-19 pandemic following a Supreme Court directive to decongest detention camps. His wife, Saburjan Nessa, said he returned home severely ill. 'His health had deteriorated badly. He had been forced to eat rotting and low-quality food in the camp," she said. Since his disappearance, Ali's family has desperately been searching for him. They visited the Matia detention centre, but received no answers. The police officials only said, 'We know as much as you do.' With the help of a human rights group, the family has approached the Gauhati high court. His lawyers suspect that Ali, too, has been "pushed back" into Bangladesh. Kazi Sharowar Hussain (Kazi Neel) is a filmmaker, journalist and a poet from Barpeta, Assam. He heads Itamugur Community Media, a platform that amplifies the voices of the marginalised communities.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Smuggling network busted in Ferozepur: Police apprehend 4; seize 10kg narcotics, drone
The Ferozepur Police have registered four separate cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, arresting four individuals and seizing nearly 10 kilograms of narcotics, a foreign-made drone, and other incriminating items. Ferozepur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Bhupinder Singh Sidhu during a press conference after the seizure on Thursday. (HT) Ferozepur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Bhupinder Singh Sidhu said the operations were carried out over the past few days in coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF), leading to significant recoveries and disrupting cross-border smuggling activity. The police recovered a total of 9.593 kg of heroin, 2 kg of opium, a foreign-made drone equipped with two remote controls, three mobile phones, a computerised weighing scale, a motorcycle and a Maruti Swift car. One of the major seizures occurred near border outpost Shamskee in the Hussainiwala sector, where BSF personnel and police recovered 7.67 kg of heroin. A case has been registered against unknown persons in connection with the recovery. In another joint operation with the BSF, police arrested Jaswinder Singh (21), a resident of Fateh Wala alias Jallo Ke, who was found in possession of 1.407 kg of heroin and a foreign-made drone fitted with dual remote controls — indicating its suspected use in cross-border smuggling operations. Further investigation based on Jaswinder's arrest led to the apprehension of Krishan Singh alias Lala and Varinder Singh, who were found with 509 grams of heroin, multiple mobile phones, a weighing scale, and a motorcycle. In a separate incident, Karandeep Singh alias Karan (24) was nabbed near the Zira-Talwandi t-point, carrying 2 kg of opium, an iPhone, and a Swift car. Juvenile detained with weapon In a parallel operation under the Arms Act, police arrested a 17-year-old boy named Harsh, a resident of Kothi Saiyaan Wala, recovering a country-made pistol along with a magazine from his possession. Preliminary investigation suggests he may have intended to use the firearm for criminal activity. Police further revealed that Krishan Singh alias Lala had previously been arrested in March 2025 in an NDPS case involving 51 grams of heroin, highlighting his continued involvement in the illicit drug trade.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
India's drone shield
Imagine tiny flying robots—called drones—sneaking into India from Pakistan, carrying dangerous things like drugs and weapons. That's not a movie plot. It's really happening. These drones are being used by smugglers and bad guys to drop illegal stuff deep inside India. And some of them are high-tech drones from China that fly high to avoid being seen. This isn't just about smuggling. It's part of a bigger plan to harm India quietly. By sending in guns, drugs, and money, enemies are trying to help criminals and terrorists inside India. For example, powerful weapons found in Punjab and Kashmir came from drone drops linked to Pakistan. To stop this, India has started using special tools like Dronaam, which can take down enemy drones using lasers! The Border Security Force (BSF) also has anti-drone teams. But here's the tricky part—drone technology keeps changing. Smugglers keep upgrading their drones to fly smarter and sneakier, just like in the war in Ukraine where drones are used in new ways every week. So how do we fight back? By getting smarter and faster. India needs to train more experts, invent better technology, and connect scientists, security forces, and industries to work together. New types of drones are coming—some use fibre optics, others will use artificial intelligence (AI). India needs to build a strong 'drone shield' to protect the country. Stopping bad drones isn't just about defense—it's about staying ahead with science, teamwork, and smart planning. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Two BSF personnel injured in attack by suspected cattle smugglers in Meghalaya
'Two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were injured in an attack by suspected cattle smugglers along the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district,' officials said on Wednesday (July 16, 2025). 'The incident took place near the Khasimara river in the early hours of July 12,' they said. 'The BSF personnel spotted movements of 30 to 40 cattle heads along with around 20 people on the Bangladeshi side of the border,' according to an FIR lodged with the Meghalaya Police. 'On being challenged, the miscreants, assisted by another group of 40 to 50 individuals from across the border in Bangladesh, attempted to cross into Indian territory and began pelting stones at the BSF personnel,' it said. 'In the attack, two BSF jawans sustained injuries,' it said. 'In self-defence, BSF troops fired several warning shots and blank rounds to disperse the attackers,' the border-guarding force said in a statement. 'Following the incident, the miscreants fled the area, and BSF personnel recovered 13 cattle heads,' it said. 'Further investigation is under way,' it added.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
BSF apprehends Pakistani boat, intruder near Indo-Pak border in Gujarat's Kachchh Dist
Border Security Force on Tuesday said that a Pakistani boat with a suspected intruder was apprehended in Gujarat along the India-Pakistan border. "During a routine patrol, BSF apprehended the intruder from Lakhpat, a town in Kachchh district Gujarat. Fishing equipment was recovered from the boat," Officials said, adding that multiple security agencies have launched a detailed investigation into the infiltration attempt to determine the motive and possible links.
