An AIUDF delegation on Wednesday met Assam governor LP Acharya to express its concern and protest against the “continued harassment of Indian Muslims” in the state under the pretext of identifying and apprehending “illegal foreigners”.

The Opposition party had recently said, in a memorandum to the governor, that “there has been a noticeable increase in the number of people, especially from the Muslim community who have been picked up, interrogated and even arrested on mere suspicion of being illegal immigrants”.

“The actions have often been taken without credible evidence, legal notice or proper verification of documents. Some of these individuals have later been released after being found to be genuine Indian citizens,” the memorandum said.

Influx has remained a sensitive issue in the state leading to the six-year-long foreigners movement as well as the update of the NRC in the state, which, however, has not been notified yet. The last few days have seen intensified drive against suspected illegal immigrants.

Asserting “unequivocally” that the AIUDF does “not” support illegal immigration, believes in the “sovereignty of the nation and the sanctity of its borders”, the AIUDF said their “objection lies in the misuse of authority and targeting of Indian citizens in the name of identifying foreigners”.

The 13-member AIUDF delegation, led by sitting MLA Hafiz Bashir Ahmed Qasimi, has urged the governor to “direct” concerned authorities to “exercise” greater caution and legal diligence in identifying suspected foreigners, ensure no Indian citizen is “wrongfully detained or subjected to intimidation” and “investigate and hold accountable” those responsible for wrongful arrests or misuse of power.

The AIUDF, often accused by the right wing of espousing the cause of illegal migrants, also urged the governor to establish a “transparent and humane procedure” with adequate legal aid for verifying citizenship claims and promote awareness among officials and the public to avoid communal profiling and ensure that enforcement measures are free of bias or prejudice.

Arms licences

The Assam government will give arms licences to indigenous people living in "vulnerable and remote" areas for instilling a sense of security in them, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Sarma said the decision was taken at a state cabinet meeting after reviewing the "demand" of the people living in these areas.

"Assam is a very different and sensitive state. Assamese people living in some areas have been feeling insecure and they have been demanding arms licences for a long time," he said.

In the backdrop of recent developments in Bangladesh and the state government's recent drive against suspected foreigners, the indigenous people in such areas feel that they might be attacked, Sarma said.

"The government will be lenient in giving licences to eligible people, who have to be original inhabitants and must belong to the indigenous community living in vulnerable and remote areas of the state. It will give additional courage to them," he added.

Sarma said some of the districts in this category are Dhubri, Morigaon, Barpeta, Nagaon and South Salmara-Mankachar, naming some other areas such as Rupahi, Dhing and Jania.

Additional reporting by PTI