The Assam government has approved sweeping changes to how suspected foreigners will be identified and verified, giving individuals just 10 days to prove their Indian citizenship or face detention, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Tuesday.
The state Cabinet cleared the measure by invoking provisions of a 1950 law, which Sarma said would bypass the existing process overseen by Foreigners Tribunals. Under the new standard operating procedure, the burden of proof will shift sharply onto individuals flagged by authorities.
“From now on, suspected foreigners will have to establish their citizenship within 10 days. If they fail, they will be moved to detention camps,” Sarma told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.
The decision reflects Sarma’s long-standing position that demographic shifts in Assam’s border districts are threatening local communities. He has repeatedly alleged that unchecked migration from Bangladesh is altering the state’s population balance.
Last month, Sarma announced that Aadhaar cards — India’s 12-digit biometric ID — would no longer be issued to residents over the age of 18 in border areas, except for members of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and tea garden workers. Even for those groups, Aadhaar validity would be restricted to one year, he said.
The chief minister added that, in “rarest of rare” cases, district magistrates may still approve Aadhaar enrollment after reviewing reports from local police and the Foreigners Tribunal.
The move to reintroduce the 1950 law was first signaled in the state assembly in June, but Tuesday’s Cabinet decision formally set the process in motion.
Rights groups have criticized similar measures in the past, warning that rushed verification drives risk disenfranchising legitimate citizens, particularly among marginalized communities. Detention centers in Assam, where declared foreigners are housed, have drawn scrutiny from national and international observers over conditions and prolonged confinement.
Sarma, however, defended the decision as necessary to protect Assam’s identity. “We cannot allow the demographic character of our border districts to change any further,” he said.
The new verification rules are expected to be implemented soon, though officials have not announced a timeline for rollout.
