28 died in Assam detention camps, 3 of them from Bangladesh
Guwahati: Only three of the 28 people who died of various illness so far at detention camps in Assam had their addresses in Bangladesh, the state Assembly was informed on Saturday.
The state government also said it has sent a proposal to the Centre to set up more detention centres in addition to the existing six, while construction for another is going on in Goalpara district.
In reply to a query by AGP MLA Utpal Dutta, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said a total of 28 persons have expired in the detention camps "due to illness" till November 21.
Out of them, only three persons -- Basudev Biswas, Nagen Das and Dulal Miya -- had given their addresses in Bangladesh, while the recorded addresses of the remaining 25 were different districts of Assam, he said.
In a separate query by AIUDF member Aminul Islam on the addresses where the bodies have been sent, the minister said information is being collected from the superintendents of police of different districts.
When Congress MLA Durga Bhumij asked if any compensation has been paid to the family members of the deceased, Patowary said there is no such provision.
On Wednesday, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said in Rajya Sabha that there were no deaths of inmates in detention centres due to fear or lack of medicines and all deaths were caused by some diseases.
On behalf of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who holds the Home portfolio, Patowary said a total of 988 people are now lodged in the six detention camps, of which 957 were declared as foreigners and 31 are their children.
Currently, 317 inmates are in Tezpur centre, 222 in Goalpara, 195 in Jorhat, 142 in Kokrajhar, 72 in Silchar and 40 in Dibrugarh, the parliamentary affairs minister said.
On the other hand, the government has released 935 foreigners from the detention camps and they include 86 people waiting for their deportation. The Supreme Court has an order that says a detainee has to be conditionally released after three years of stay in a centre, he added.
Patowary informed the House that Rs 4.74 crore have been spent on maintaining the six detention centres since the establishment of the first one in 2009-10.
The minister said 12 tea tribe people have been declared as foreigners by the Foreigners Tribunal and the state government will take steps as per the law.
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Three footballers of Indian origin named in squads for FIFA World Cup 2026
New Delhi: Three footballers of Indian origin have been named in preliminary or final squads for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, scheduled to be held across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
According to a report published by Mathrubhumi, Sarpreet Singh was included in the New Zealand national football team squad which was announced on Wednesday.
Born in Auckland to Indian parents, Singh was eligible to represent India through his family roots but chose to play for New Zealand. The 27-year-old attacking midfielder made his senior international debut in 2018 and has since become a regular member of the national side.
Singh has made 26 appearances for New Zealand and has scored three goals while providing seven assists.
Julen Lopetegui has included two players of Indian origin: Niall Mason and Tahsin Mohammed, in Qatar’s selections for the tournament.
Mason, a defender whose mother is Indian, previously trained in the youth academies of Real Madrid, Southampton FC and Aston Villa FC. Although he received his first senior call-up earlier this year, the Qatar defender is yet to make his senior international debut.
Tahsin Mohammed, 19, was born to parents from Kerala’s Kannur district. His father Jamshid is from Thalassery, while his mother Shaima belongs to Valapattanam. The winger became the first player of Indian origin to feature in the Qatar Stars League, Qatar’s premier domestic football competition.
Mohammed has made two appearances for the senior Qatar side, including in a World Cup qualifier against Afghanistan in June 2024.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be jointly hosted by United States, Mexico and Canada.
