By Sanchet Barua
Pre-independent India had no infiltration problem worth the name. Whatever foreigners came to India from the Middle Ages came either through the western gaps or through the plain patches of the eastern boundary. Most of these intrusions were of the nature of invasion. They came not to settle in India, but to rob India of her treasure.
In post-independence period, other things remaining the same, the erstwhile East Pakistan that is, East-Bengal, locally called Purba Bango or Purba Bangla, turned into present ‘Bangladesh’, was carved out as a new International Border with India in the east-south fringe. The plague of foreigners has been suffered by India today therefore is mostly due to this Bangladesh. Bangladesh was made out of pre-independent East-Bengal plus the Sylhet district of the then undivided Assam.
So, the Bangladeshi people have a common stock with that of Indian States, Assam and West Bengal. Both the people have the same anthropological features, linguistic and cultural similarities and also likeness in social customs and manners. Due to these factors, it is often difficult to distinguish a Bangladeshi from an Indian. ‘Infiltration’ is not only an anti-national activity in Northeast India as well as others parts of India and South Asian countries, but there is more important is the activity by the people of the fundamentalists group backed by Pakistani intelligence wing of former West-Pakistan, presently Pakistan, ‘Inter Services Intelligence’ (ISI), from Bangladesh. These activities are both anti-national and anti-social in nature as they intend to keep the Government busy with the terrorist activities and communal disturbances, which often take place specially, in Northeast Indian States. The other motive of these activities is to carry on a silent invasion far deep into the State by dint of creating a majority in the States of Northeast India.
Of all the activities carried on along the international border areas, seven distinct types can be categorized separately. They are (a) Infiltration for Food, Cloth, Shelter, Cheap-Labour and Job, (b) Illegal Trade, (c) Anti Indian Activities (d) Religious Fundamental Activities, (e) Human Trafficking (mostly women and children, (f) Arms and Drugs smuggling and (g) Theft and Robbery.
The first one, namely ‘Infiltration’ has certain causes amongst, which prominent ones are infiltration for livelihood, infiltration for political purposes, infiltration for religious fundamentalism and infiltration for ‘cheap-labour’. Among them infiltration made for political and religious purposes is both large in quantity and dangerous for Indians well as South Asian countries. The infiltrations made for political purposes are mainly for creation of vote-bank. Except a section of non-political and political parties of Northeastern states – Assam, Meghalya, Tripura and West-Bengal are more or less responsible for this folly, as per the version given by the common people and the observers.
The infiltration made for religious expansionism, on the other hand, has a long history and a deep link with some international fundamentalist group. For such men religion is above the states and hence they are alike everywhere. As the infiltrations made by such persons are well organised, it is very difficult to detect such persons because they remain under the protective cover of their religious masters. So, if such persons are not checked at the time of crossing the boundary, they cannot be detected later on.
At present, the smugglers, illegal infiltrators and the anti-Indian activists are using some thousands of kilometres of land and some hundreds of kilometres of water (that is, the portion of Brahmaputra and Kusianra rivers of the state, Assam, Ichhamati, Ganga and others small rivers of West Bengal State and Gumati, Muhuri, Feny, Dhlai and Khowai rivers of the state, Tripura) of the Indo-Bangladesh international boundary areas equally to carry on their activities.
The infiltration of foreign nationals into this region and ever increasing activities of extremists, fundamentalists have been admitted by none than S.B. Chavan, Ex-Home Minister of India and Rajesh Pilot, when he held the portfolios of the State Home Ministry of the Central Government respectively. While on the other hand, on 06th May, 1997, Indian Union Home Minister Indrajit Gupta (Member of Parliament of Communist Party of India, shortly say-CPI) had also disclosed to the floor of Indian Parliament that there are upwards of one crore illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators, who have made India their quintessential home.
Over and above, illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are being captured by the Indian most of the state Governments every now and then. But, it is a matter of astonishment to note that the State Governments (specially – Assam, Meghalaya, West-Bengal, Tripura in Northeast India) as well as the India Central Government are repeatedly denying the issue. Why? The reason is obvious Bangladeshis are their vote-bank. The illegal infiltration, smuggling and anti-Indian activities in surrounding areas of Indo-Bangladesh international border are on the rise at an alarming rate. These anti-national activities are so deep rooted that they are seen controlling the entire politics of the North-East India. What is most unfortunate is that almost all the political parties are keeping silence in this regard for fear of losing their vote-bank in these areas. Politics only for votes – this attitude of the political parties even at the cost of national cause gives rise to doubts in the minds of genuine Indians.
There is hardly any political party, which raises its voice against the touchy subjects like illegal infiltration, smuggling and anti-Indian fanatic activities in the Indo-Bangladesh international border areas, though these three factors have become the common issue of the entire North-East India, especially in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and West-Bengal, even the entire country and the other South Asian countries are concern.
As a matter of fact, 20 per cent to 25 per cent people residing in the India-Bangladesh international border areas are directly or indirectly encouraging illegal infiltration for their vested interest as they mostly depend on these illegal and anti-national activities for their life and living. In fact the ‘infiltration’ is a kind of trade that occurs in the international border, persons engaged in this trade, carry out it and take the risk in connection with the crossing of the borderline. INAV