In a move marking the first known application of a dormant law, Assam has ordered the expulsion of five individuals declared to be foreigners, invoking the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950. The order, issued by the Sonitpur district administration, requires the individuals to leave the territory of India within 24 hours of receiving the order.
The five individuals, identified as Hanufa, Mariyam Nessa, Fatema, Monowara, and Amjad Ali, were declared foreigners by a Foreigners Tribunal (FT) on October 24, 2025. The cases against them were initially filed in 2006 by the Border Police with the Sonitpur Foreigners Tribunal No. 2. According to Sonitpur District Commissioner (DC) Ananda Kumar Das, the FT issued the order ex parte because the individuals never appeared for the hearings despite multiple summons.
The expulsion order, dated November 19, 2025, directs the five individuals to leave India via the Dhubri/Sribhumi/South Salmara-Mankachar route, which leads into Bangladesh. The order warns that failure to comply will result in the government taking appropriate action to remove them from Assam. DC Das has also instructed authorities to remove the names of these individuals from any government schemes they may be benefiting from.
Police have stated that the current whereabouts of the five individuals are unknown and that they are absconding. However, local sources indicate that the families left their village in Dhobokata, located in the Jamugurihat area of Sonitpur district, over a decade ago, following reports to the border police and suspicion from other residents.
The Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, was enacted following pressure from the then Assam government to address migration from East Pakistan after Partition. The Act allows the government to expel individuals who are not citizens of India if their presence is deemed detrimental to the interests of the general public or the internal security of the state.
The Assam cabinet approved the implementation of the SOP for the 1950 Act earlier this year. In September 2025, the cabinet cleared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for implementing the 1950 law, which empowers District Commissioners to give suspected foreigners 10 days to prove their citizenship or face expulsion. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has stated that this measure is within the legal framework and that the Supreme Court has upheld the powers of the Assam government under the 1950 law.
