SHILLONG, July 25: The Meghalaya government on Friday said it has not received any information on infiltration of people into the state even as it stated that all the forces are working in close coordination to detect and deport illegal migrants.
“There is no information yet. We will update if there is any detection,” Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who also holds the Home (Police) portfolio, told reporters.
Recently, infiltrators arrested in Assam claimed that entry into India through Meghalaya is easy as there is no presence of police or BSF personnel in certain sections of the porous international border.
Tynsong said the BSF and the police have been asked to be more vigilant. They are on the job and working in tandem to thwart attempts of illegal migration, if any, he stated.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting where he directed the police and civil administrations in the districts to remain on high alert, especially in areas bordering Assam where eviction drives are underway, to prevent any potential spillover into Meghalaya.
“We had a meeting with all concerned departments. We instructed the DCs and the SPs to be more vigilant in case there is any kind of influx from Assam or Bangladesh,” said Tynsong.
Talking about the second phase of talks on boundary dispute with Assam, he said, “We have already requested our counterpart to fix the date that is convenient to both. Let us wait and see.”
He said the talks were delayed as MLAs and Ministers in Assam are busy preparing for Assembly elections, due early next year.
Meanwhile, the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) expressed apprehension that the eviction drives in Assam may have some repercussion, warning that it could trigger the influx of illegal settlers into Meghalaya, particularly in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills region.
On Friday, members of the KSU’s East Jaintia Hills district unit, along with representatives from the KSU Narpuh circle, conducted a surprise inspection at the Ratacherra infiltration check gate to monitor the entry and movement of suspected illegal immigrants into the state. The inspection was carried out following social media reports of a sudden crackdown by the Assam government on illegal immigrants across various districts.
The KSU said Meghalaya’s proximity to Assam, coupled with the absence of effective legal mechanisms to regulate entry, makes the state vulnerable.
“Our land is rich and peaceful but unfortunately, it lacks stringent entry laws which makes it an easy target for illegal settlers,” the KSU stated, expressing serious concern over the threat to the indigenous population.
The union expressed disappointment over the silence of both state and central governments on the long-standing demand for the implementation of Inner Line Permit in Meghalaya.
The KSU said it will continue to fight relentlessly to safeguard the interests and security of the indigenous people.
The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (CoMSO) has asked its member organisations to stay alert.
CoMSO chairman Roy Kupar Synrem said given the rising cases of detection of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and the ongoing eviction drives in Assam, there is a likelihood that illegal migration of people from Bangladesh and Assam may surge in the next few days.
“Therefore, all member organisations of CoMSO are directed to be vigilant and to take proactive steps to prevent the settlement of these illegal immigrants in the state. Eviction drives in mining areas, construction sites, urban slums, factories/industrial areas and economic hubs like market or commercial places and the border belts, should be conducted frequently in order to ensure that such illegal immigrants are promptly detected, identified and deported at the earliest,” CoMSO added.
