14 Bangladeshi migrants to face prosecution

Guwahati, Jul 14 (UNI) As many as 14 suspected Bangladeshis are likely to be prosecuted under the Foreigners Act after they failed to provide any valid documents of their citizenship to the police in Lakhimpur district.

Over 6,000 people, mostly daily wage earners, were screened by police at Bandordua and Lalung after they poured into Asom from Arunachal Pradesh.

More than 10,000 people had entered Asom from Arunachal Pradesh in the last three days, in the wake of an eviction threat by Arunachal students' bodies.

A police official told UNI from Lakhimpur that out of over 6,000 people entering Asom, 14 had failed to provide any valid documents proving their credentials. They were likely to be prosecuted under the Foreigners Act.

Police said the wrath of the Arunachal student organisation over the migrants was fuelled by the detection of at least eight Bangladeshi people in the neighbouring state last week.

The Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union and Nishi Students' Union had set a deadline of July 15 for all suspected Bangladeshi nationals in the state to depart.

Tottering under pressure from various organisations and the public, the police had launched a door-to-door search operation to hunt down any suspected Bangladeshi, who might have taken shelter anywhere in the district.

''The people, whom we have screened have said they hailed from places like Abhyapuri, Barpeta, Dhubri and some places of Lakhimpur.

We have verified the credentials and then freed them,'' the police official further said.

''But local people have apprehended that there are many more, who have sneaked into the district by evading the screening. So we are conducting a door-to-door search through the border police department,'' he added.

UNI