From Our Reporter
DAWKI, Aug 7: Residents of Meghalaya villages bordering Bangladesh are gearing up for the new normal — heightened security measures including newly-built fences, restriction on movements along border areas, community meetings, an increased presence of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and deployment of a company of the 21 Bihar Regiment near the border to assist the BSF in border security. This follows the recent political turmoil in Bangladesh, where the Army has taken control of the government.
Meghalaya shares a 443-kilometer border with Bangladesh. On Monday afternoon, when Sheikh Hasina resigned as Prime Minister and the Bangladeshi Army took charge, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) abandoned their posts in Dawki. This left the border briefly unmanned after protesters arrived, shouted slogans and looted seized customs goods from the BGB posts.
By Wednesday morning, the BGB personnel had returned and the border posts resumed normal operations.
However, the usually busy trade between the two nations has been severely disrupted. The movement of trucks transporting boulders and limestone to Bangladesh, which normally numbers between 700 and 800 daily, has come to a grinding halt. This disruption is causing significant revenue loss for the Meghalaya government.
There have also been allegations of illegal crossings by Bangladeshi citizens via the Umngot river. A viral video showing boats operating at night during the curfew hours had earlier fueled concerns. Unchecked, these boats have begun extracting stones and sand from the riverbed.
It has been confirmed that large-scale mining of stones from the Piyan river (the name for the Umngot on the Bangladesh side) resumed as soon as the Army took over. Hundreds of boats have been involved, operating day and night. This activity is confined to the Bangladeshi side, where stone extraction was banned by Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2019.
Mankhraw Ryngksai, the headman of Dawki, clarified that there has been no illegal infiltration in the area, and the viral video was of boats extracting boulders on the Bangladeshi side of the Umngot.
He said, “Once the Bangladeshi government collapsed, boats rushed to the Piyan river to resume stone extraction. We fully trust the BSF personnel and the government and are actively working to prevent any illegal crossings from Bangladesh.”
However, he expressed concern that the resumption of stone extraction after a five-year ban could have adverse effects on both sides of the border, particularly during the winter months.
Despite the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh, tourists continue to visit the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Tamabil although the number has significantly declined.
In response to the unrest in Bangladesh, the Meghalaya government has imposed a night curfew along the international border with Bangladesh. The curfew, which affects the 443-km boundary, is in effect within 200 meters from the Zero Line, from 6 pm to 6 am.
According to reliable sources, on normal days, around 100 people cross the border every day from both sides. However, since the violence broke out, the number has been dwindling. On Wednesday, around 55 people went to Bangladesh from Meghalaya side, but only 4-5 people came over from Bangladesh.
The people crossing the border from Meghalaya side are mostly Bangladeshi students studying in colleges in Shillong or people working here who are now rushing home to their parents and relatives.
Ambrose Khonglah, the headman of Pyrdiwah, a village that shares unfenced borders with Bangladesh, said, “We are not worried about the situation going downhill here because the BSF deployment is strong and active, and the villagers are helping prevent any illegal immigration. But what we are most worried about is our relatives and other Khasi brothers and sisters who are still there.”
It should be noted that around 80 villages right next to the border in Bangladesh are inhabited by Khasis who are all Bangladeshi nationals. Khonglah further said that if and when the time comes, the government has to step in and make sure they are given asylum.