Ufa Ali, a 67-year-old bicycle mechanic from Assam, India, recently faced a terrifying ordeal that highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding citizenship and migration in the region. On May 31, after four days stranded in Bangladesh, Ali returned home, shaken and weak. His troubles began on May 23 when police detained him during a crackdown on what the government calls "declared foreign nationals." This term refers to individuals in Assam, often Bengali-speaking Muslims, who are caught in a complex web of citizenship issues.
Assam has a long history of ethnic and religious strife, fueled by migration and settlement patterns over the past century. The situation has worsened since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in Assam in 2016, leading to increased scrutiny of the Muslim population, which makes up over a third of the state’s 31 million residents.
Ali was among more than 300 Muslims reportedly pushed back into Bangladesh since May. Assam’s Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has stated that these pushbacks will continue as part of a strategy to protect the state. Ali’s experience began when he was taken to a detention center over 200 kilometers away in Goalpara district. After three days, he and 13 others were brought to the India-Bangladesh border by soldiers from the Border Security Force (BSF).
At the border, they were caught in a nightmare. The BSF tried to force them into Bangladesh, but the Bangladeshi Border Guard (BGB) refused to accept them, stating they were Indians. Ali and the others spent 12 hours in no-man’s land, struggling in knee-deep water without food or shelter. Ali described this period as "hell underneath the blue sky," saying they felt like they had no country.
The situation escalated when BSF soldiers fired rubber bullets at the group to push them across the border. Rahima Begum, another detainee, recounted being beaten by the BGB when she attempted to escape to Bangladesh. After a tense standoff, the BGB eventually dropped Ali and his group back on the Indian side of the border in Meghalaya, allowing them to make their way home through dense forests.
The crackdown on alleged illegal migrants has intensified in recent months, particularly after a violent incident in Kashmir that fueled anti-Muslim sentiment across India. Critics argue that the government’s actions disproportionately target Muslims, as many undocumented Hindus are not subjected to the same scrutiny.
Assam’s history plays a significant role in the current crisis. The state has seen waves of migration since the British colonial era, particularly from Bengali-speaking regions that are now part of Bangladesh. Following the partition of India in 1947 and the subsequent independence of Bangladesh in 1971, the demographic landscape shifted significantly. Today, Assam’s government has set a cut-off date of March 24, 1971, for determining citizenship, further complicating matters for many residents.
Individuals like Ali, who have been declared foreigners due to minor discrepancies in documentation, find themselves in a precarious position. Despite having their names on the National Register of Citizens (NRC), they can still be deemed illegal. Ali spent two years in a detention center after being stripped of his citizenship and feels powerless to challenge the decision in court.
The Assam government claims that these actions are necessary to maintain order, but many argue that they amount to forced expulsions. Human rights advocates emphasize that the laws being used to justify these actions were not intended for people who have lived in Assam for generations and possess valid documents.
As the situation evolves, the plight of Ufa Ali and others like him raises serious questions about identity, belonging, and the treatment of vulnerable communities in Assam. The ongoing tensions reflect broader issues of nationalism and the rights of minorities in India, leaving many to wonder what the future holds for those caught in this complex web of citizenship laws.