Over 1.70 lakh illegal foreigners detected under Assam Accord in 40 years: Minister

Over 1.70 lakh illegal foreigners have been detected in the State so far under provisions of the Assam Accord, while about 31,000 have been pushed back in the last 40 years, the Assembly was informed on Wednesday (February 18, 2026).

Assam Accord Implementation Minister Atul Bora also stated that the fencing of the India-Bangladesh border in Assam has been nearly completed, except for a 4.35 km stretch objected to by the border guarding force of the adjoining country.

Mr. Bora was replying to a question by Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) legislator Ramendra Narayan Kalita on the Assam Accord, signed on August 15, 1985, at the end of a violent six-year-long movement against illegal Bangladeshis.

The pact stated, among other clauses, that the names of all foreigners coming to Assam on or after March 25, 1971, would be detected and deleted from the electoral rolls, with steps taken to deport them. The immigrants who came to the State between 1966 and 1971 will get Indian citizenship.

The Minister said that as per provision of the Accord, 1,37,152 illegal immigrants who entered the State post-1971 till December 31, 2025, and another 33,485 who came between 1966 and 1971 have been identified and declared as foreigners.

From 1985 to March 12, 2013, 29,663 illegal foreigners were sent back to their country through ‘Push Back’ process.

Between March 13, 2013, and January 31, 2026, Bora said, 468 were sent back through the ‘Deportation’ process, of whom 458 were convicted foreigners and 10 declared foreigners.

Another 1,421 illegal foreigners were ‘Sent Back’ as per orders from the Ministry of Home Affairs between February 1, 2025, and January 31, 2026.

Moreover, from December 20, 2025, to January 31, 2026, 51 declared foreigners and one new illegal immigrant have been expelled from the country under the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950.

Regarding fencing of the border, Bora said Assam shares 267.5 km of boundary with Bangladesh in Dhubri, Soulth Salmara-Mankachar, Cachar and Sribhumi districts.

Barbed wire fencing has been erected along 228.541 km, with a stretch of 4.35 km left out in Sribhumi district due to objections by the Border Guard Bangladesh. The rest is the river border between the two countries, which is guarded through a Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System by the Border Security Force (BSF), the minister added.

On the implementation of recommendations of Justice (retd) Biplab Sharma committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, Bora said the report was received by the state government on behalf of the Centre, which had formed the panel. Clause 6 deals with various Constitutional safeguards for the people of the state.

A series of meetings have been conducted under the chairmanship of the chief minister with the departments associated with implementing Clause 6 and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), which was among the groups that had led the Assam Agitation and was a signatory of the Accord.

Bora said out of 67 recommendations of the committee, 52 came under the purview of the state government and work on implementing these have already commenced.

“The Central government has been contacted for implementation of the 15 recommendations which come under its purview,” he added.

Replying to a question by Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi, the minister said that various clauses of the Accord are being implemented by the Centre and state governments.

He added that a sub-committee was formed by the Assam Accord Implementation department, comprising three Cabinet Ministers and AASU representatives, to discuss the matter.

The sub-committee submitted its report to the government on November 22, 2025, and steps are being taken for its implementation, Bora added.

The minister, responding to a question by the Congress’ Debabrata Saikia, said the Bangladesh border along Assam is guarded by 91 border outposts (BOPs) of BSF, 14 BOPs of the Assam Police as a second line of defence and 14 patrol posts.

Process is on for setting up an additional 13 BOPs of Assam Police and 12 border police stations.