JSU urges Centre to intervene over illegal entry of Bangladesh immigrants

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaFebruary 14, 2020

SHILLONG: The Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU) has sought the Centre’s intervention into the alleged failure of the state police and border security force (BSF) to stop intrusion by illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

In a letter to the Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday, JSU said there is an ongoing entry of a large number of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh to villages like Dawki, Muktapur, in West Jaintia Hills District and Shella in East Khasi Hills District, which are situated along the International border.

It said this year 2020 has witnessed a number of attacks by armed miscreants from Bangladesh who illegally enters and commits theft and murder including injuring a number of people in these border villages.

“Such repeated incidents pose a grievous threat to the lives of the people and residents of these villages and have also created fear psychosis in the minds of the local populace which in turn may cause social instability and unrest in these border villages,” the JSU said.

The JSU said despite efforts made by the BSF and the State police in securing the borders and the people residing therein from such offences, yet they have failed to stop these illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and their criminal activities in the areas owing to shortage of manpower required to manned the unfenced border areas along the villages of Dawki to Muktapur in West Jaintia Hills District and also part of Shella village in the East Khasi Hills District.

“However, with the recent turn of events in our area, we the Jaintia Students’ Union and also as the concern villagers and mere victims would like to write to your good office directly since the State Government of Meghalaya and the Border Security Force are totally helpless and powerless in providing us with strong security and since they find it extremely difficult to ensure peace and security to the border areas,” it said.

The JSU also informed that it has approached the state government but till date no corrective measures have been taken that will stop right away the entry of these Bangladeshis.

Moreover, it is depressing to say that the BSF till date were unable to make any arrest of these miscreants from Bangladesh who deliberately entered India along the unfenced and porous Indo-Bangla border of Meghalaya and commit theft and murder and also threatening to kill any passer-by in the aforesaid sensitive area Dawki to Muktapur and part of Shella Village, the letter said.

Condemning the Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB), the JSU also alleged that the BGB are facilitating this illegal entry of their citizens into India. This is a very serious issue if it is allowed to continue time and again as it will indicate that the country of Bangladesh is propagating and funding its own citizens to create terror and violence with the motive of disturbing peace and security of the citizens of their neighbor, it said.

Further, it pointed out that there are very less or no locals indigenous to Meghalaya within the BSF and this has attributed to communication barrier with the local populace at the border and weak border force-public relation while stressing on the need to recruit and deploy of indigenous personnel to contain such illegal and criminal activities at the border villages.

The JSU also urged the Centre to set up special border units to check illegal immigration especially after the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.