By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: IPS, Inspector General (BSF), Meghalaya Frontier Sudesh Kumar said that infiltration from neighboring Bangladesh needs to be stopped on a war footing basis as it is threatening the demographic set-up in the state on the sidelines of the recently concluded 3rd Force Level Inter Frontier BSF Badminton Championship, 2011 held at the U Tirot Sing Syiem Indoor Stadium, Lower Lachaumiere.
While expressing the pressing need to fence the international border that Meghalaya shares with Bangladesh, Kumar said this is imperative to address the issue of infiltration and cross border terrorism. Meghalaya shares around 445 km of international border with Bangladesh.
While acknowledging the fact that infiltration is still on due to the unfenced border, when asked, however he said that joint patrolling in the newly identified vulnerable and susceptible areas is going on by the BSF.
He also informed that the Jaintia Hills region in the state which shares near about 150 km of international border with Bangladesh could not be fenced due to opposition from villagers and that remains a vulnerable sector from the infiltration point.
The Inspector General’s concern is a matter to reckon with and more so with the arrest of a hardcore ULFA militant, Dergrah Saronia, a senior captain who also happens to be a high ranking central committee member of the banned outfit, was arrested recently from the Dalu border sector under West Garo Hills by BSF personnel while he was entering India from Bangladesh along with three other cadres.
The BSF of Assam Meghalaya Frontier has stepped up extra vigil and intensified operations on the international border to check illegal infiltration/exfiltration and trans-border crimes.