SHILLONG, Aug 9: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appealed to the state government to identify and secure unfenced portions of the 443-km-long international border with Bangladesh, especially at a time when the neighouring country is faced with unrest whilst India stares at high possibility of influx of Bangladeshi nationals.
State BJP vice president, Bernard N. Marak, emphasised the need for heightened security and increased manpower to prevent the illegal influx of Bangladeshi nationals into the state.
Highlighting that several parts of the border remain unfenced due to difficult terrain, making them vulnerable to illegal crossings, Marak criticised the historical handling of international border issues, mentioning that during the tenure of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, sovereignty was granted to Bangladesh without adequately securing the borders.
“Former Congress Prime Minister Indira Gandhi divided Bangladesh and gave sovereignty but did not take care to check the borders those days. And when they actually started fencing, land from India had gone to Bangladesh,” Marak said.
Marak maintained that despite existing security measures, porous areas along the international border still allow illegal crossings, leading to various unlawful activities.
He urged the government to prioritize identifying and sealing these vulnerable areas to prevent further migration from Bangladesh.
“In the last years, those things were not taken care by the government and now that the areas are affected, many people from Bangladesh are migrating. It will be safer for Meghalaya to identify those areas through which people from Bangladesh can sneak in, and seal it so as to check migration from Bangladesh,” he added.
Citing viral videos showing smuggling activities, Marak warned of potential extreme measures that could be adopted during crises.
Earlier, in a letter to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Marak suggested the set-up of camps for tribals entering India from Bangladesh, providing them with rehabilitation on humanitarian grounds.
“We should have our camp to accommodate our people, keep track and rehabilitate them and when situations normalise they can be deported back this is the only way how we can identify and keep people in control,” he said.
CPC wants action against human rights violations
Meanwhile, the Central Puja Committee (CPC), the apex coordinating body for Hindu institutions in Meghalaya, has appealed to the Centre to urge Bangladesh and the United Nations (UN) to address the alleged human rights violations faced by minority Hindus and other religious groups in Bangladesh.
The CPC’s appeal comes in the wake of ongoing violence allegedly perpetrated by Islamic fundamentalist radicals in the neighboring country.
“All of us are fully aware of the ongoing situation of our neighbouring country of Bangladesh and how Islamic Fundamentalists hijacked the student movement which led to targeting of the people of the minority Hindu religious group and damaging the Hindu temples and torching the houses of the Hindu minority,” said CPC general secretary, JL Das, here on Friday.
Condemning the harassment, torture and destruction of religious sites faced by the Hindu minority, Das stressed the need for immediate action, urging the Centre to take up the matter with the Bangladesh government and the United Nations.
“The CPC appeals to resolve the gross violation of human rights of minority Hindus and other religious groups facing genocide from fundamental Islamic radicals, and to ensure the safety and security of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh,” Das said.
It may be mentioned that only recently, rioters in Bangladesh torched the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) in Dhaka and destroyed a memorial dedicated to U Tirot Sing that was placed at the entrance of the building.
The Meghalaya government had decided to lodge a protest with the Bangladesh government once the situation there stabilises, and, at the same time, informed that it would explore the idea of reinstalling the bust in the neighbouring country.
