Paromita Das
New Delhi, 12th September: Illegal infiltration has been one of the most pressing issues in Assam for decades, shaping its politics, identity debates, and social harmony. On September 9, 2025, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced a landmark policy shift after a state Cabinet meeting in Guwahati: anyone caught on suspicion of being an illegal infiltrator will now have only 10 days to prove Bharatiya citizenship.
This announcement marks a turning point. For years, Assam’s fight against infiltration has been slowed by the cumbersome tribunal process. With the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) under the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, the government has armed local administrations with unprecedented powers to identify, detain, and deport infiltrators swiftly.
ASSAM HAS PUSHED BACK 30,000+ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TILL DATE pic.twitter.com/QhBxe1fTF1
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 9, 2025
The 10-Day Citizenship Deadline
Under the newly approved SOP, the process is both clear and stringent. If someone is suspected of being an illegal immigrant, they will receive a 10-day window to provide valid proof of Bharatiya citizenship. Failure to do so means the District Commissioner can issue a deportation order within 24 hours.
This bypasses the Foreigners’ Tribunals, which previously handled every case, often delaying decisions for years. Now, the power lies directly with the district administration, making the process faster, more decisive, and less encumbered by legal backlogs.
अब प्रशासन संदिग्ध घुसपैठियों को अपनी नागरिकता प्रमाणित करने के लिए 10 दिन की अवधि देगा।
Today Assam has issued a detailed Standard Operation Procedure to detect and deport illegals pic.twitter.com/hL5yMPaLv1
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 9, 2025
The state has already deported 30,128 infiltrators to Bangladesh so far, but CM Sarma argues that this new mechanism will dramatically accelerate the pace.
Fast-Track Pushbacks at the Border
The SOP doesn’t stop at citizenship verification. Another major decision empowers authorities to send back anyone caught crossing the border illegally within just 12 hours. This eliminates prolonged legal procedures that often resulted in infiltrators remaining in Assam for years while their cases were pending.
Additionally, the state has mandated that biometric and demographic details of all suspects be uploaded to the Foreigners Identification Portal, ensuring long-term monitoring and preventing re-entry.
The Forgotten Law and Supreme Court’s Green Signal
The bold move comes in the wake of a 2024 Supreme Court ruling. A Constitution Bench clarified that the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950 is still valid and can be used alongside Section 6A of the Citizenship Act. The judgment was a game-changer: it confirmed that the administration does not have to route every case through tribunals.
In fact, CM Sarma himself admitted that the 1950 Act was “forgotten” for decades. Its revival effectively revamps Assam’s strategy, empowering district-level officers to act directly.
Interestingly, while a similar law for the western border (the Influx from Pakistan (Control) Act) was repealed in 1952, the Assam-specific law survived—highlighting how migration from the eastern border was always treated as a unique and long-standing concern.
A Double-Edged Sword for Assam
The new SOP undoubtedly marks a historic and decisive step. By cutting through years of legal delays, it strengthens Assam’s ability to protect its cultural identity and demographic balance—issues at the very heart of Assamese politics.
Yet, there are risks. The 10-day deadline is extremely tight, raising concerns about potential errors, wrongful identification, or difficulties for poor and rural citizens who may lack proper documentation despite being genuine Bharatiya. Ensuring transparency, fairness, and robust oversight will be critical to avoid alienating innocent residents.
Moreover, the move could reignite political tensions around the NRC (National Register of Citizens), where millions of names remain contested. With more than 42,000 cases still pending in tribunals, this new system may ease the backlog but not erase the larger complexities of identity verification in Assam.
Assam’s Historic Leap in Border Control
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has described the SOP as “historic and decisive”, and in many ways, it is. For decades, Assam has struggled with infiltration concerns, balancing legal hurdles, demographic anxieties, and humanitarian challenges. By reviving the 1950 Act and empowering local administrations, the state has taken an aggressive leap forward.
The move reflects Assam’s determination to protect its people and cultural fabric, while also testing the limits of administrative efficiency and fairness. Whether it becomes a model of swift governance or stirs new controversies will depend on its implementation in the coming months.
What is clear is this: Assam is no longer content with waiting years for tribunal verdicts. It is acting fast, decisively, and in a way that could reshape the state’s fight against illegal immigration for generations to come.
The post 10 Days, No More: Assam’s New SOP on Illegal Immigration appeared first on Global Governance News- Asia's First Bilingual News portal for Global News and Updates.
