Bongaigaon crackdown fallout: BSF denies infiltration claims through Meghalaya

Shillong, July 24:  BSF Meghalaya Frontier Inspector General OP Upadhyay on Wednesday refuted the claim being made by some Bangladeshi infiltrators detained in Bongaigaon, Assam, that they had sneaked into India through Meghalaya.

However, Upadhyay admitted that there is "movement" across the border as several Bangladesh nationals are returning home due to action being taken against illegal migrants in different parts of the country.

"We have been apprehending several Bangladeshis trying to return home. We have handed over several Bangladeshis to our counter- parts in Bangladesh," he said. Reacting to media reports had entered India through Meghalaya by paying touts, Upadhyay categorically stated that it was not correct. The Bangladeshi infiltrators claimed that they had walked through hilly terrain after crossing broken fences and entering India through Meghalaya.

Arguing that Jamalpur district in Bangladesh is far from the Meghalaya border, the BSF IG said that they must have entered India through some other sectors and only moved through Meghalaya. The media is sensationalising the report, Upadhyay maintained.

Jamalpur district is, however, closer to Meghalaya than other Indian States. The distance from Jamalpur to Nalitabari (in the vicinity of Tura, Meghalaya) is only 60- odd km. On the other hand,

Jamalpur and Rowmari in Mankachar, Assam, is 100- odd km, while Sonahat in Dhubri district is located about 170-odd km away.

The BSF IG insisted that the BSF troops are alert on the border and stopping illegal entries. But the fact remains that several patches of the border with Bangladesh in the Meghalaya sector are still unfenced. Some land owners in the State have approached the courts as they are unwilling to part with. their land for erecting fences. Upadhyay refused to comment on the matter.

Coupled with the unfenced border, the terrain is quite challenging with hills and forests. Observers said that Bangladeshi infiltrators are finding it relatively easier to sneak in through Meghalaya

By

Staff Correspondent