New Delhi: No Bangladeshi was killed or injured in the recent Bodoland violence and that shows there were no illegal settlers in the area, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said on Thursday.
He cautioned that “secret forces” were trying to destabilize Assam. “I don’t want to name them but there are forces trying to instigate violence,” Gogoi told reporters at the Assam Bhavan.
A total of 485,921 people were displaced in riots in the Bodoland erritorial Administered Districts (BTAD) in July-August, according to official estimates. A total of 448,665 people returned to their homes. Gogoi said 37,256 people were still living in relief camps and “quite a substantial number of them were from the minority community”.
He tried to dispel the apprehension of the people of Assam on the issue of illegal migrants. “Not a single illegal foreign immigrant will be allowed to settle in Assam.” The chief minister added that “not a single foreign illegal settler was detected in the BTC till date”.
He also said that 97 percent of the Assam-Bangladesh border fencing had been completed. Of the 224.69 km of border, 218.17 km had been completed. (IANS)