62% of Foreigners in Assam detected ‘ex-parte’

A shocking 62% of the suspected foreign nationals have been declared "Foreigners" by the Foreigners Tribunal (FT) of Assam since 1985 – Ex parte..

This shocking information was disclosed by the Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy to a question raised by Congress MP Dr Shashi Tharoor in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday .

Reddy announced that 63,959 persons were declared Foreigners 'ex-parte', which means persons against whom the charges had been made as suspected foreigners were not present during the trial process.

In the last Legislative Assembly session, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary stated that 1,03,764 have been declared Foreigner by the FT since 1985 till date.

The Union Minister also informed that there are 6 detention centres in Assam where 1133 inmates are lodged. Out of them, 769 have been kept for past one year while 335 of them have been there for more than three years.

This is noteworthy that the Apex Court on May 10 had passed an order to release all the detainees who have completed three years in detention centre and could not be deported to Bangladesh should be released with a surety of Rs 2 lakh.

That means 335 of them, who have been declared foreigners by the FT will walk free but there is no clarity about their rights and privildges after coming out of the Detention Centre.