30,113 Bangladeshis Deported Since 1985 Accord, Assam Government Informs Assembly

On Wednesday, the Assam government revealed to the assembly that, over the past 39 years since the signing of the Accord, 30,113 Bangladeshis who entered India illegally through Assam’s border have been deported.

Responding to Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed’s query about the Assam Accord’s implementation, Minister Atul Bora said “Till date, since the signing of the Assam Accord, 30,113 Bangladeshis have been pushed back.”

Regarding the high-level committee’s report on implementing Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, submitted in February 2020, Bora stated that efforts will be made to submit it to the Union Home Ministry soon.

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‘Following submission of the report, a sub-committee consisting of three ministers and leaders from the All Assam Students Union (AASU) was formed by the Assam government to address legal and constitutional issues in the recommendations. The committee has met five times so far. We will meet again soon and aim to forward the report to the Centre as quickly as possible’ said Atul Bora at assembly.

Brief Information On Assam Accord

Meanwhile, the Assam Accord is a tripartite agreement, which was signed in 1985 between the Centre, the All Assam Students Union (AASU), and the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP).

As per Clause 6 of the accord, it specifies that “Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.”

It’s implementation of Clause 6 had been stalled for over three decades, until the BJP-led central government formed a committee in January 2019 to seek recommendations. Chaired by Justice (Retd.) Biplab Kumar Sarma, the 13-member committee has yet to submit its report to the Centre.

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