Detained, Deported & Detained Again: The Ordeal of a Muslim Woman in Assam

(Reporting on citizenship, detentions and state practices against marginalised communities are key focus areas in The Quint's reportage. You can support our journalism by becoming a member).For 50-year-old Doyjan Bibi, resident of a small village called Madhusaulmari Pt.II in Assam's Dhubri, the past few years have been an ordeal. On 24 May 2025, she was picked up and deported to Bangladesh, despite a case pending in the court on this matter. While the family got confirmation of her deportation on 1 June, the Foreigner's Tribunal (FT) in Guwahati High Court verbally confirmed on 16 June that Doyjan is now lodged in Kokrajhar Holding Centre. The Quint has a copy of the latest court order.Doyjan’s story is not an ordinary one, nor is it the only such story coming out of Assam. Her story is representative of a larger pattern in Assam of late, where many people living there since decades, if not generations, being “pushed into” Bangladesh.Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently said that 330 “illegal immigrants” were "pushed back" in the last few months. Moreover, he has decided to bring into action a 1950 law to "push back" "illegal immigrants" into Bangladesh. This includes any persons whom the district commissioners might find to be "foreigners" prima facie, bypassing the state's FTs.Doyjan was among those who were abruptly deported last month. But how did she find herself in the middle of this? Why Has Assam Arrested At Least 90 Over Online Posts Since Operation Sindoor?Prior to the deportation, Doyjan was out on bail for the past four years. The Quint has seen a copy of the bail order.Having been declared a ‘foreigner’ by the FT in the past, she had spent two years in Kokrajhar detention camp from 2019-2021.Along with her husband Abdul Rejjak, a 55-year-old daily wage labourer, she lives with her two sons, Abdul Gaffar, 23, and Feroz Ali, 20 and her mother-in-law in a small house in Madhusaulmari Pt.II village. “All she did was worry about her existence and her future, she has a fear in her heart that she lives with,” Rejjak told The Quint.This, despite the fact that Doyjan possesses the necessary documents, such as her Voter’s ID, name in the Voters list, name in the 2019 NRC. The Quint has also accessed her family’s land documents of 1969 and 1971.But then came the unfortunate day — 24 May.A housewife, Doyjan was occupied with chores when the Assam police came knocking at their door. Rejjak was not home, he recalled.He stated that the police told Doyjan that there was a meeting around 3 PM at Gauripur police station for all the former detainees who are out on bail, she called and told Rejjak, hesitatly.The police showed urgency and did not give her much time to think or decide, Rejjak said. He thought that she had been going to the police station to give her attendance as required, so he didn’t think it would be a big deal if she went. He advised Doyjan to cooperate and so she went with the police.When she did not come back home, Rejjak went to the Gauripur police station to inquire about her. They stayed there till midnight while there was no update about any meeting, he said.“At around 12:30 -1 am, a vehicle came in and took her and some others away to Dhubri SP office. After that, in fact, since then there has been no contact with her. We did not know where she was. Then we got to know that these people who were picked up were deported. The next day, we got the video of Khairul Islam, which confirmed our fears.”Abdul Rejjak, Doyjan's husband to The QuintIslam, an ex-government teacher was also “pushed” into Bangladesh. Islam’s family had confirmed this after they saw a video uploaded on social media by a Bangladeshi journalist, purportedly showing Islam in Bangladesh’s Kurigram district. His case is pending in the Supreme Court.Rejjak said that for 5-7 days, they tried to get more information about Doyjan’s whereabouts. The Gauripur police allegedly told them to go to Dhubri SP office, and at the office, they were told to go to Matia detention camp, but to no avail, Rejjak lamented.“After some days, one of the reporters in Bangladesh identified her. The reporter clicked her photo and sent it to a local reporter in Dhubri saying, ‘she might be from your place because she is saying she is from Gauripur, Assam,” Rejjak told The Quint.Then CJP found out that when Bangladesh police reportedly asked Doyjan where her home was, she said Gauripur. Coincidentally, there is a place with a similar-sounding name, Gouripur in Mymensingh district in Bangladesh.It was while she was being taken to a local jail in Gouripur, when a Bangladeshi reporter took her photo and sent it to them in Assam. Thus, the family was able to confirm her deportation.“Our mental state was in disarray during the day and at night, we cried. Each night, we cried, worrying and thinking about Doyjan. How could they do this to her?” asked an upset Rejjak.CJP filed a new petition in the High Court regarding her latest deportation. Following weeks of silence, during the hearing, the counsel for the FT submitted that he had received verbal instructions over phone indicating that Doyjan is currently lodged at the Kokrajhar Holding Centre.The bench comprising Justice Kalyan Rai Surana and Justice Malasri Nandi passed an order allowing Rejjak, along with one family member, to visit Doyjan at the holding centre. The next hearing matter is on 25 June.SC Directs Release of Woman, Branded as 'Foreigner', From Assam Detention CentreRejjak said that just like him, his grandfather and father were born in Dhubri. So was Doyjan, who was born and raised in a village next to theirs.Married for 35 years, both of them lived a fairly normal life until the discourse on citizenship and being declared a 'illegal immigrant' started gaining ground.In 2017, Rejjak received a notice from Assam's border force. Rejjak stated that they hired a lawyer for help.“We were not informed about the hearings and we couldn’t appear in some of them. There was some miscommunication between the lawyers and us. Hence, there was an ex-parte judgment in August 2017 and Doyjan was declared a foreigner," Rejjak told The Quint.Then they filed an appeal in FT. The lawyers told them to keep their papers ready, he noted.Around two months later, they went to the lawyers who told them that their case had become messed up and Doyjan had been declared a foreigner, Rejjak stated. Adding that the lawyers told them to stay safe as the police could pick them up any time and advised them to approach the HC.“It was a shock for us, our minds stopped working and we were numb. How has my wife been declared a foreigner just like that?” Rejjak asked. The family stayed here and there to keep themselves safe. In April 2019, they went to another lawyer to approach the HC. On 5 May 2019, the local police arrested Doyjan.Coincidentally, Rejjak was not home back then too. When he came home, he saw a huge crowd of neighbours and villagers gathered at his home, he recalled."I heard cries. My younger son was clinging to me and said, “Abba, they took away Ma,” and was crying. I was shaken,” recounted Rejjak.Rejjak had gone through some surgeries, due to which he couldn’t work more. So he told his eldest son, Gaffar to earn more so they can bear the travel and legal expenses.Both the sons dropped out of school and work as manual labourers ever since Doyjan was detained the first time in Kokrajhar jail.The CJP Assam team intervened and was able to get Doyjan out on a conditional bail in 2021. “We meet these families every week and counsel them. They have this fear in their hearts as to what might happen to them. It's an expensive affair for people who cannot afford it. Even when they're sick, they have to go and give their attendance. Whenever we have met Doyjan also, she said, "when will this end?"Habibul Bepari, a CJP team memberHe added that one legal hindrance in Doyjan's case is to prove her relationship with her father, officially. Doyjan does not have a birth certificate, since she did not attend school, she has no school certificate. Her father has also not given or transferred any piece of land which would have some paperwork. Hence, the team was preparing to find a way to officially establish their relationship. But before they could, Doyjan was picked up, deported, brought back and now detained again.For Doyjan and her family, this case has become a huge financial burden. Compounded by fears of being picked up and now a renewed fear that she could be deported again.Rejjak said that Doyjan has a huge regret that the little money they are earning is being spent on traveling to the police station, courts and in past legal expenses. Doyjan had envisioned a life where she would have spent this money to develop her home.“How long will this go on?” Doyjan had once asked Rejjak, he said. Doyjan's family, and many others like them continue to search for the answer.(The Quint reached out to Gauripur police station in Assam. Their response will be added once received)

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Detained, Deported & Detained Again: The Ordeal of a Muslim Woman in Assam

"Doyjan was out on bail, how could they send her to Bangladesh just like that?" asked Abdul, her husband.

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Topics: Assam Bangladesh Assam Border