The Bangladeshi nationals were held on Sunday in lower Assam’s Dhubri district while they were trying to cross over to their country. Assam shares a 267km border with Bangladesh, of which 90 km falls in Dhubri.

Assam government has started the process of deporting 26 Bangladeshi nationals, who were held in the state during the nationwide lockdown restrictions, which were initially enforced for 21 days from March 25 and then further extended for another 19 days till May 3 to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

The Bangladeshi nationals were held on Sunday in lower Assam’s Dhubri district while they were trying to cross over to their country. Assam shares a 267km border with Bangladesh, of which 90 km falls in Dhubri.

“The Bangladeshi nationals were carrying valid travel documents. However, few of their visas had expired during the lockdown restrictions. They were travelling from Upper Assam’s Jorhat district with lockdown passes that were issued for migrant labourers. They’ve been placed in a quarantine facility in the district on Sunday,” said Anant Lal Gyani, deputy commissioner (DC), Dhubri district.

The DC said that the 26 Bangladeshi nationals had entered India via the Changrabandha international border in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district before the lockdown restrictions were enforced. Though they had T-1 visas meant for tourists, they told the officials in Dhubri that they were engaged in fishing activities in Jorhat, he added.

“The two vehicles in which they’re travelling were intercepted in Dhubri on Sunday, as the passes issued to them from Jorhat were valid for travel only till the district. Besides, the local address in Dhubri furnished by the Bangladeshi nationals turned out to be fictitious. Later, they admitted that they’re trying to go back to their country,” Gyani said.

Yuvraj, superintendent of police (SP), Dhubri district, said that all the relevant details of the Bangladeshi nationals have been shared with the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for the deportation process.

“We’ll initiate the process of their deportation soon. They may be deported even before their mandatory 14-day quarantine period ends,” the SP said.

Last month, Border Security Force (BSF) officials in Assam’s Karimganj district in the Barak valley had sent back a Bangladeshi national, who had swum across the Kushiyara river on the Indo-Bangla border in a bid to get himself treated in India.