Five declared foreigners ordered to leave Assam within 24 hours

Tezpur (Assam), Nov 19 (PTI) Five people including four women, who have been living in Assam for several years, were declared foreigners and the Sonitpur district administration on Wednesday issued notices directing them to leave the state within 24 hours, officials said.

Those five individuals -- Hanufa, Mariyam Nessa, Fatema, Monowara and Amjad Ali -- were Bangladeshis, according to the authorities. They have been residing in Dhobokata village under Jamugurihat police station.

Sonitpur Foreigners Tribunal No. 2, in separate cases filed by the district's Superintendent of Police (Border) in 2006, termed them Declared Foreign Nationals (DFN).

A Foreigners Tribunal is a quasi-judicial body that determines if an individual is an illegal immigrant or a foreigner in Assam.

In the notice, District Commissioner A K Das stated that in the interest of the public and internal security concerns, they must leave the state.

Das, exercising powers under the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, ordered them to leave the state within 24 hours of receiving the notice.

They have been directed to exit through the Dhubri, Sribhumi, or South Salmara-Mankachar routes.

The DC also warned that failure to comply with the order will compel the authorities to remove them from the state in accordance with the provisions of the Act. PTI COR DG NN