The Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) army commander, Sohan Shira has publicly claimed that he travels to Bangladesh without hindrance to bring in weapons into the country. This speaks volumes about the ineffectiveness, if not incompetence, of the Border Security Force (BSF) guarding our international borders. Sohan is the most wanted criminal from Garo Hills. If he can visit Bangladesh at will and return to his area then there is a serious security lapse along the borders. That Sohan not only visits Bangladesh but also brings weapons and other explosives from there tells us of a larger threat not only to Meghalaya but to this country too. The question is: What is the BSF doing? Is the force so corrupt as to have lost the moral fibre to guard this country from criminal elements? Either that or they don’t know how to prevent such cross border movements of wanted criminals. Or is there collusion at the lower ranks with these criminals?
The BSF has four Battalions to guard the border which runs for a length of nearly 440 km from Mahendragunj region of Garo hills to Umkiang in East Jaintia hills. Nearly half of the border has been fenced off. Sohan and his or Dristi Rajkhowa of the ULFA or his gang will not possibly cross from Jaintia Hills or West Khasi Hills area as they don’t have a support base in these areas to facilitate their crossing. The obvious areas are those where Garo villages exist on both sides of the International border. Most of these areas fall under West Garo hills, South Garo hills and their counter parts on the Bangladesh side.
Border fencing has been completed in most of the areas in these two districts. Yet, Sohan Shira and other militant outfits have free access to Bangladesh including easy passage for weapons and detonators. This points to serious failure on the part of the BSF not only in preventing but also in detecting such crimes regularly committed by militants of the GNLA, ULFA, ASAK and similar gangs. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs must take serious note of this lapse.