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27 foreigners deported in one month for ‘tourist visa conversion’; All district SPs have been instructed to monitor the religious gatherings and check the immigration documents of the foreigners attending.
27 foreigners deported in one month for ‘tourist visa conversion’; All district SPs have been instructed to monitor the religious gatherings and check the immigration documents of the foreigners attending.
The Assam government has directed superintendents of police (SPs) in districts to keep tabs on foreigners who are proselytizing in violation of tourist visa rules.
The move followed the arrest and deportation of 27 foreigners – 17 Bangladeshis and 10 Europeans – from three districts in eastern Assam within a month. All came on tourist visas and not missionary visas that allow for limited religious activities, police said.
“We have directed the SPs of all districts to monitor religious gatherings and check travel documents of foreigners attending,” Assam Director General of Police Gyanendra Pratap Singh told reporters.
The police are also trying to find out how and why the foreign tourists ended up in rehabilitation. “It should be understood that there are two types of visas – tourist and missionary. The rules say that a foreigner cannot engage in religious activities on a tourist visa. The rules allow certain religious activities on a missionary visa, but not conversion. religious or apostate,” he said.
Mr Singh said the police have taken action in all the cases after collecting evidence.
The 17 people from Bangladesh were accused of violating the immigration system by attending and preaching an Islamic program in Biswanath district, while the 10 Europeans were arrested while giving speeches. conducting Christian festivals in Dibrugarh and Golaghat districts, according to the police.
Three Swedish nationals were arrested after attending a religious program for farm workers in Naharkatiya on 26 October. Two days later, seven Germans were arrested on similar charges at a tourist resort in Kaziranga National Park.
Any foreign national found to be in violation of visa regulations is subject to a $500 fine in accordance with the Interior Ministry’s order, officials said.
“We have the details of the religious meeting they attended and the churches they went to preach,” said Mr. Singh, adding that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma insisted that he would not allow any illegal activities by foreign nationals in Assam.
Tourism officials in Assam said that the move against the Europeans will not affect the tourism industry in the State. “We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure good stay of foreigners in Assam. Only 4-5% of tourists violate the visa requirements,” said an official.
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