Party leaders submitted a memorandum to Assam Governor Lakhsman Prasad Acharya after 14 people, reportedly pushed back into Bangladesh, were left stranded on no-man’s land
GUWAHATI — The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), a minority-focused political party, has alleged that Indian Muslims in Assam are being routinely harassed under the pretext of identifying foreigners.
On Wednesday (May 28, 2025), an 11-member delegation of the Maulana Badruddin Ajmal-led party submitted a memorandum to Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya to register their protest against the “continued harassment”, The Hindu reported.
The memorandum followed the alleged pushback of 14 people, declared non-citizens by the Foreigners’ Tribunals (FTs) or facing charges as “illegal immigrants”, into Bangladesh from western Assam’s South Salmara-Mankachar district on Tuesday. The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel manning the frontier, however, said these 14 were prevented from entering India.
“Indians are being declared foreigners and pushed out to the no-man’s land along the international border in the name of detection and deportation of Bangladeshi people. The Bangladesh forces are not letting them enter their country, and the BSF is preventing them from coming back,” MLA Aminul Islam told The Hindu.
“These people have been stranded on the no-man’s land (neutral strip between the border of two countries) without food, water, or a toilet since Tuesday morning. It is not that Bangladesh does not take back its people who enter India illegally, but there’s a proper procedure. These are Indians branded foreigners and pushed back without any bilateral discussion,” he said.
Mr. Islam represents Mankachar, the Assembly constituency where the pushback happened. He led the AIUDF delegation of MLAs and former MLAs along with Hafiz Bashir Ahmed Qasmi, who represents the Bilasipara West constituency.
‘Atmosphere of fear’
Through the memorandum, the AIUDF told the Governor that in recent weeks, an increasing number of people, especially Muslims, have been picked up, interrogated, and arrested on mere suspicion of being illegal immigrants. “The actions have often been taken without credible evidence, legal notice, or proper verification of documents,” it said.
The party said most of the people targeted are poor and daily wagers with hardly any scope of defending themselves against “such atrocities”, and the trauma, indignity, and reputational damage caused to them and their families cannot be undone.
“Such repeated incidents have created an atmosphere of fear and anxiety among large sections of our population, particularly among poor and marginalised Muslims… It is alarming that even individuals possessing valid documentation such as voter ID cards, Aadhaar, and land records are being subjected to doubt and harassment,” the AIUDF memorandum read.
Asserting that the party does not support illegal immigration and believes in the sanctity of India’s borders, the party urged the Governor to take steps to direct the authorities to exercise greater caution and legal diligence in identifying suspected foreigners and ensure that no Indian citizen is wrongfully detained or subjected to intimidation.
Seeking a transparent and humane procedure with adequate legal aid to verify citizenship claims, the AIUDF suggested an awareness drive for officials and the people to avoid communal profiling and ensure that enforcement measures are free from bias or prejudice.
The party also said those responsible for wrongful arrests or misuse of power should be held accountable.
