Daijiworld Media Network – Guwahati

Guwahati, Jun 1: Two families in Assam’s Barpeta and Darrang districts have raised alarm after their kin — women earlier declared ‘foreigners’ allegedly went missing after police summons, with family members claiming they have been secretly deported to Bangladesh.

In Barpeta, 58-year-old widow Shona Banu, who spent over three years in a detention centre and was released in 2020, was summoned to the police station on May 24. Her brother Ashraf Ali said she was held inside all day and has not been seen since. The family later spotted her in a video from Bangladesh, raising fears of forced deportation. Her case is still pending in the Supreme Court.

In Darrang, 42-year-old Manikjan Begum vanished after a similar summons on May 23–24. Her son said she and her 8-month-old daughter were also seen in a video from Bangladesh. The family plans to approach the Gauhati High Court.

Both women had been declared foreigners by tribunals years ago and were released from detention under Supreme Court guidelines.

Advocate Aman Wadud alleged the Assam government is pushing back declared foreigners without legal verification or travel documents, despite its own earlier affidavit that such deportations are not possible without proper procedures.

The Gauhati High Court has sought details from the state on similar missing persons cases. Meanwhile, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma stated only those without appeals in higher courts are being deported. Families, however, insist legal process is being ignored.