Assam revives a 1950 migration law, prompting fresh debate over borders, belonging and state power |
In a development that has drawn both attention and concern, authorities in the Indian state of Assam have issued orders instructing five people to leave the country within 24 hours. All five — four women and one man — had previously been declared “foreigners” by a legal tribunal earlier this year. The directive represents the first publicly known use of the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act of 1950, a law passed in the aftermath of India’s Partition and long considered obsolete.
Police officials in Sonitpur district, where the orders were issued, say the individuals are currently untraceable. Local residents claim the five have not lived in the area for more than a decade. The gap between legal action and the ground reality has raised questions about enforcement, due process and the broader implications of reviving such an old piece of legislation.
A law born in the chaos of Partition
The Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act was created just three years after India gained independence in 1947, at a time when the subcontinent was grappling with enormous population movements triggered by the traumatic division of India and Pakistan. Assam, which borders present-day Bangladesh, became a key site of concern as waves of people crossed borders seeking safety, land and........