Villagers step up vigil along with BSF personnel along the unfenced stretches of the border with Bangladesh
DAWKI, Aug 11: The turmoil in Bangladesh and the possibility of people there fleeing to India has reignited fears of a repeat of the 2001 Pyrdiwah incident in villages along with international border.
Residents of Pyrdiwah hope calm will prevail in the neighbouring country but the apprehension hangs heavy in the air.
“We are scared for our relatives living just across the border. At the same time, we do not want non-tribal refugees to be settled on our land to create a colony like the one in Rynjah, Shillong,” Simol Khonglah, a Pyrdiwah resident said.
Airing a similar concern, Phie Lamin said the village youth and the Rangbah Shnong have been patrolling the areas along the border. “Much of our border is unfenced. We cannot let immigrants slip through illegally,” he said.
The 2001 Bangladesh-India border clashes remain a painful memory for many in this border region.
On April 16 that year, some 800-1,000 Bangladeshi paramilitary troopers breached the international border and captured Padua, also known as Pyrdiwah, forcing all its residents to flee.
The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) troops stationed in the village were encircled and a tense stand-off ensued for days with both sides on high alert. The situation was resolved without bloodshed but memories of those days continue to haunt the locals.
The Rangbah Shnong of Dawki, Mankhraw Ryngksai, said he was confident of the BSF’s ability to protect Meghalaya’s border with Bangladesh.
In the nearby village of Lyngkhong, residents have taken matters into their own hands. They have reportedly erected a makeshift bamboo fence, reminiscent of the barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic, to prevent the influx of people from Bangladesh.
Lyngkhat, another border village, has its unique challenges. With two demarcation pillars marking the international boundary, villagers often cross into Bangladesh for agricultural purposes and cattle grazing, under the watchful eyes of the BSF personnel who keep a note of the people moving out and back in.
The narrow roads of these border villages are now heavily patrolled by the BSF men stationed at strategic points to maintain security. However, the sense of unease among the villagers persists.
The situation has been under control, but the villagers know how quickly things can change.