Assam has six detention centres, and more are in the pipeline, Karnataka's got one recently and Bengal has similar plans
The issue of detention centres is in the spotlight after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 22 accused the Congress, its allies and “urban naxals” of spreading rumours that Muslims would be sent to such places while addressing a rally to assuage concerns over the Citizenship Amendment Act and a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC). Soon after the PM’s speech, social media was flooded with images of detention centres under construction. For decades now, Assam — the only state to have an NRC — has been sending "foreigners" to detention centres across districts. They are also being built in states like Karnataka and West Bengal and, not so long ago, Maharashtra had similar plans.
So, what are detention centres?
Detention centres are meant to house illegal immigrants after they are declared ‘foreigners’ by tribunals/courts or foreigners who have served their sentence for an offence in India and are awaiting deportation to their home country. Under Section 3(2)(c) of The Foreigners Act, 1946, the Central Government has the powers to deport foreign nationals staying illegally in India. States can also set up detention centres.
So, what are detention centres?
Detention centres are meant to house illegal immigrants after they are declared ‘foreigners’ by tribunals/courts or foreigners who have served their sentence for an offence in India and are awaiting deportation to their home country. Under Section 3(2)(c) of The Foreigners Act, 1946, the Central Government has the powers to deport foreign nationals staying illegally in India. States can also set up detention centres.