Assam govt to strengthen 2nd line of defence to check infiltration from Bangladesh

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaSeptember 7, 2024

The Assam government has intensified efforts to curb illegal infiltration from Bangladesh by strengthening the second line of defence along the state’s international border.

The state political (B) department has issued an Office Memorandum (OM) on Saturday, outlining guidelines for the detection of illegal immigrants entering the state through international borders.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Saturday, Sarma highlighted the critical role of the Border Police wing of Assam Police in detecting illegal immigrants entering the state through international borders. He noted that this responsibility has been crucial for maintaining border security.

Sarma pointed out that since the updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Border Police had been relatively inactive, which may have contributed to a rise in infiltration incidents. He indicated that there has been a noticeable increase in illegal immigration in recent months, prompting the state government to reassess and strengthen its measures to address the issue.

From January 2024 to date, a total of 54 illegal immigrants have been detected – 48 in Karimganj district, 4 in Bongaigaon district, and one each in Haflong GRP and Dhubri district. Of them, 45 individuals were pushed back into their country of origin, while nine were arrested in Karimganj.

Sarma emphasized the importance of detecting suspected non-Indian nationals and individuals of foreign origin in specific regions of the state, particularly in Upper Assam and North Assam districts. He highlighted that the presence of such individuals poses a potential threat to national security, making their detection a critical priority.

Village/ field-level government functionaries such as VDPs, Gaon Panchayat members, and Land Revenue staff needs to be activated to gather information on new and unknown persons of suspected nationality. After receiving such information, enumeration of suspected illegal immigrants, including individuals involved in specific vocations, needs to be done in consultation with Assam Police, district administration, and district police.

In the border districts, Assam Police have to make efforts to deploy additional forces as per ground-level assessment to assist the Border Police in these sensitive border districts vulnerable to illegal influx.

The Chief Minister said the Border Police has been directed to take all necessary preventive and precautionary measures to intensify detection and proactively curb the movement of illegal migrants while taking steps to repatriate these individuals.

The Border Police needs to increase patrolling and surveillance in areas under the jurisdiction of Border Outposts to detect and prevent illegal border crossings.

Stronger coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF) and other Central agencies to facilitate seamless information sharing and joint operations needs to be done for enhanced border security.

Intelligence-gathering mechanisms need to be intensified focusing on cross-border networks and infiltration routes.

The Border Police has to ensure that all identified cases of illegal immigrants are promptly documented and forwarded to the Foreigners Tribunals for adjudication.

Checks have to be intensified in areas under Border Outpost jurisdiction to identify suspicious individuals lacking valid identification or documentation.

Sustained efforts have to be launched to locate and apprehend individuals who have absconded after being declared foreigners by the Foreigners Tribunals or the Illegal Migrants Determination Tribunals and who are currently evading the police.

On identifying suspected individuals or families, their biometrics should be collected. If such individuals possess Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, Voter IDs, or passports, their numbers should be recorded for future reference.