SHILLONG, March 12 - Border Security Force (BSF) today fired a salvo at the Meghalaya police for its failure to share intelligence inputs about arms smuggling and preventing cattle movement into the State.
New BSF Inspector General (Meghalaya Frontier) PK Dubey said the State police did not share any inputs about confiscation of arms into the State.
Categorically stating �no arms and ammunition have entered into the country from Bangladesh� in the past one year, Dubey said, BSF and Border Guards Bangladesh share a cordial relationship now which negates such smuggling.
The IG was reacting to Chief Minister Mukul Sangma�s statement in the Assembly on Friday where he said that the International border with Bangladesh remains vulnerable to arms smuggling and the Centre must take care of it.
�Any politician can say anything, but there have been no report from any intelligence agency of arms being smuggled into India across the border with Bangladesh,� he stated.
Dubey said Maoists are procuring sophisticated arms like AK-47s and anti-aircraft guns from across the Myanmar border and �NSCN is the supplier.�
On cattle smuggling, the IG said, rampant issue of butchery licence in Jaintia Hills and free movement of cattle across the inter-State borders are the reasons for rise in cattle smuggling from Meghalaya to Bangladesh in 2015.
The butchers, with these licences are getting in cattle into the State and selling them off to dealers who smuggle the cattle out to Bangladesh through the porous borders, the IG said.
�Over 2,000 cattle were seized by BSF on the International borders during 2015. There has been a rise in cattle smuggling,� he added.
Dubey said the BSF is not mandated to check movement of cattle across inter-State borders. �It is the State police which have to stop such movement. These cattle are coming all the way from UP, MP, Rajasthan and Bihar unchecked and everyone wants us to stop smuggling only at the International border,� Dubey said.
Citing the �108 gaps consisting of streams, rivers and drains� and �90 km of unfenced border,� out of the total 443 km border Meghalaya shares with Bangladesh, Dubey said, the hostile terrain and rough weather makes it difficult to man it completely, despite best efforts.
The IG said, for the 108 gaps the BSF is working on using laser fences as is being tried in the Western sector. �We would try these laser fences in sensitive areas initially,� he added.
On the 90 km unfenced border where locals have refused to part with their land, Dubey said, �We cannot erect fence on the zero line, it is against International conventions and Bangladesh would not agree,� the IG stated.
�Efforts are on to convince the local population and we are also trying to iron out our differences with the State police,� Dubey said.
