28 Foreigners Died, 988 Others Lodged in Six Detention Centres in Assam, Minister Tells Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: Nearly 1,000 foreigners were lodged in six detention centres in Assam and 28 of them had died either in such facilities or in hospitals, the government informed Parliament on Wednesday.

Replying to a written question in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Nityanand Rai said from 2016 to October 13, 2019, as many as 28 detenues had died either in the detention centres or in hospitals, where they were referred.

"As informed by the government of Assam, as on November 22, 2019, 988 foreigners were lodged in six detention centres in Assam," he said.

Rai added that according to the information made available by the state government, the detention centres were equipped with all basic facilities, including those related to medical care.

"Basic facilities like food, clothing, daily newspapers, television facilities in every ward, sports facilities, performance of cultural programmes, library, yoga, meditation facilities etc. are provided to the detenues in the detention centres," the minister said.

He said indoor hospital facilities with medical staff were available in every detention centre and health checkups of the detenues were conducted regularly.

In case of complications, doctors referred the detenues to the nearest civil hospitals of the districts concerned and on the advice of the civil hospital authorities, they were admitted to medical colleges and other health institutes, Rai said.