A total of 28 foreign nationals, including nine women, were relocated from Barpeta district to the Matia transit camp on Monday. The individuals, who were residing across various police jurisdictions in the district, were transferred following a Foreigners’ Tribunal declaration identifying them as foreign nationals.
The transfer, conducted under tight security by the Barpeta Police, adhered to all legal protocols. “We are carrying out the orders of the Foreigners’ Tribunal. The transfer process was conducted smoothly, adhering to all legal protocols,” stated Bidyut Bikash Bora, Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime).
However, the move ignited unrest outside the Barpeta Superintendent of Police’s office as family members and local residents assembled in protest. The crowd expressed their concerns and demands, leading to a tense atmosphere as the “declared” foreigners were being transported.
Family members of the transferred individuals urged the state and central governments to expedite the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process. “We also want an illegal immigrants-free nation. For this, the governments should expedite the NRC process so that the innocents are freed as soon as possible,” stated a family member of one of the detainees.
As of January 2023, over 1,000 “declared” foreigners were detained in camps across six jails in Assam, including Kokrajhar, Goalpara, Tezpur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, and Silchar. Most of these individuals have since been released on conditional bail as ordered by the Gauhati High Court and the Supreme Court.
The Matia transit camp, built at a cost of ₹64 crore, was originally designated as a detention center but later rebranded for a more humane approach. The first batch of 64 declared foreign nationals, all from Goalpara, was relocated to the camp in January 2023.
This situation underscores ongoing tensions around the classification and treatment of foreign nationals in Assam, further heightening the demand for an expedited and fair NRC process.
