Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma issued a strong caution to individuals and groups from outside the state, warning them against intervening in Assam’s sensitive issues, such as the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and eviction drives.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Sarma alleged that certain activists and professionals from other states have been visiting Assam with what he termed as “an agenda to protect foreign infiltrators.”
He said the government is closely monitoring their activities and assured strict action if anyone crosses legal or political boundaries.
“Some personalities from outside Assam have come with an agenda to protect foreign infiltrators. Even during the NRC exercise, these people disrupted the process. This time, the toolkit of activists like Harsh Mander will not work,” Sarma declared.
He specifically referred to the recent visits of Irfan Ali, an engineer; Neha Darban, an advocate at the Mumbai High Court; and several individuals from Kerala.
The Chief Minister’s remarks revive memories of the controversial NRC exercise in Assam, conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court between 2013 and 2019.
The process is aimed at identifying Indian citizens in the state and weeding out illegal immigrants, largely perceived to be from Bangladesh.
However, it left nearly 19 lakh people excluded from the final list, sparking widespread criticism from rights groups who flagged errors, wrongful exclusions, and allegations of bias.
Activists like Harsh Mander, who sought legal recourse for excluded individuals, were accused by the state government of obstructing the process.
Sarma alleged that deliberate manipulation of records took place during the NRC update.
“False entries were made by exploiting identical names and including ineligible persons. Over the past five years, the government has collected evidence of such anomalies, which we plan to present before the Supreme Court,” he said.
The Chief Minister also addressed the presence of foreign and national media in conflict zones, referring to a BBC team’s recent visit to Uriamghat—the site of a major eviction drive against alleged encroachers on forest land.
“No media or activist group will be allowed to exploit the situation without due permission. We will not allow outsiders to take advantage of Assam’s sensitive matters,” Sarma said, stressing that his government is pursuing a “zero-tolerance” approach to external interference.
The eviction drive at Uriamghat is part of a series of large-scale operations the Assam government has carried out in recent years, targeting alleged encroachments on forest and government land.