ASSAM TIMES POST
Guwahati : Eighteen declared foreigners were released on bail from Goalpara Detention Camp in lower Assam’s Goalpara district as per a recent Supreme Court instruction that Foreigners’ Tribunal declared foreigners languishing for more than three or more years be released on bail, said a police official here on Thursday.
The 18 persons included eight from Barpeta district, six from neighbouring Bongaigaon district, two from Chirang and one each from South Salmara and Kokrajhar districts serving time for over three years in the Detention Camp were released on bail granted by the Foreigners’ Tribunal, the official said.
The detention camp inmates were allowed to go on a surety bond of Rs two lakh each from Indian citizens, biometric details of their iris and all 10 fingers, photos as set by the Supreme Court.
The official also said that the 18 persons would have to report to the nearest police station in case of them changing their given address.
The Supreme Court monitoring the National Register of Citizens updating exercise in Assam during hearing of a PIL in July last regarding the plight of such persons, had set for release of such declared foreigners five conditions including deposit of a bond with two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each from an Indian citizen, a verifiable address of stay after his/her release from the detention centre, report once every week to the police station specified by the home and political department, biometrics of his/her iris (if possible) and all 10 fingerprints and photos.
Earlier on August 26 last On the eve of the publication of the NRC on August 31, ten declared foreigners, including a woman, were released on bail from the Goalpara Detention Camp as per the apex Court’s instruction and they included nine from Goalpara district and one from Chirang district.
Assam has six detention centres inside district jails in Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Tezpur, Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Silchar to house persons declared foreigners by Foreigners Tribunals if they failed to prove that they or their forefathers lived in Assam before March 24, 1971, the cut-off date as per the Assam Accord 1985 to determine illegal foreigners.
