Increased Infiltration Attempts from Bangladesh
Guwahati: Infiltration attempts from Bangladesh have increased across the northeast, with Assam Police and BSF stopping 21 infiltrators from entering India on Saturday night. Separately, tension has continued in Assam’s South Salmara-Mankachar district along the Bangladesh border since Sunday morning, with nine people still stranded on no-man’s land.
In recent weeks, multiple infiltration attempts by Bangladeshi nationals have been prevented in Tripura and Meghalaya. Meanwhile, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has said to keep Assam free of illegal Bangladeshis, the borders of all neighbouring states sharing boundaries with Bangladesh must also be fully secured.
CM Sarma Highlights Joint Effort
“Safeguarding borders, Strengthening security. In an excellent joint effort by @assampolice and @BSF_India, 21 infiltrators were swiftly identified and prevented from entering into India. Our multi pronged approach of safeguarding our border continues,” CM Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on ‘X’ on Sunday.
Photos shared by the CM indicated that several women and children were among those stopped from entering India. However, no information was provided on the exact location of the interception, though Sarma said it occurred on Saturday night. Around the same time, the situation along the South Salmara-Mankachar border, where nine people suspected to be illegal infiltrators remain stranded, also came to light. Locals said at around 5 am on Sunday, they saw nine people — three in Sahapara and six in Jhalorchar — stuck in no-man’s land.
Stranded Individuals in No-Man's Land
Reports stated they were prevented from moving towards Bangladesh by forces on the Bangladesh side, while BSF also did not allow them to move towards Assam. Among the nine people stranded at the two locations — about 5 km apart along the international border — are reportedly two children and two women.
According to a video, one of them claimed that middlemen had brought them to South Salmara–Mankachar on June 10, but they were caught. In the video, they admitted to being from Bangladesh, though the authenticity of the footage has yet to be officially confirmed.
Similar Incident Last Week
A similar incident occurred last week along the India-Bangladesh border in South West Garo Hills district, where a man in his 50s had spent a night in no-man’s land before Border Guard Bangladesh permitted him to enter Bangladesh. He was reportedly from Bangladesh’s Rajshahi district. Tension arose after an initial disagreement between BSF and BGB, as the man was seen moving around in the no-man’s land.
CM Sarma Calls for Comprehensive Border Security
Speaking to the media in Guwahati on Saturday evening, CM Sarma said to stop illegal infiltration by Bangladeshis into India, the borders of all Indian states sharing boundaries with Bangladesh must be secure and properly protected. “Sealing only Assam’s border with Bangladesh won’t help stop illegal infiltrators. They may enter Assam through other states that share porous borders with Bangladesh,” Sarma said.
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About the Author: Kangkan Kalita is a reporter with The Times of India and covers issues on health, education, stories of human interest while keeping a close watch on political developments and student movements. Reporting on environment and forest related issues and concerns of the northeast interest him equally.
