SHILLONG, Aug 7: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) has asked the state government to seriously introspect the increasing cases of “illegal migrants” entering Meghalaya from Bangladesh and update the Centre before the situation gets out of control.
“Time and again we have expressed our concerns over the entry of illegal migrants and even highlighted the issue to the central government,” KSU president Lambokstar Marngar said, flagging the spike in the cases of detection and apprehension of people crossing over from Bangladesh.
Apart from the security forces, KSU members in East Khasi Hills have apprehended such people crossing into Meghalaya without any valid documents, he said.
Marngar rued the lack of a proper mechanism to check infiltration from across the border with Bangladesh. “The Border Security Force has not really addressed the issue. The state government should look into the matter seriously and also apprise it to the Centre so that the implementation of inner-line permit is approved by the Centre,” he said.
There is a perception that illegal migrants who enter the country through other states get hold of documents such as Aadhaar and voter identity cards to pass off as Indians and seek ILPs.
Pointing out that the state government also considers illegal migrants a threat to the tribal population of the state, Marngar said, “It is not wise for the state government to keep silent on this matter. The time is ripe for pushing the matter aggressively, especially after the Assembly passed a resolution to seek the Centre’s approval for the implementation of ILP.”
Insisting that the issue of illegal migrants, highlighted by the KSU time and again, is not a ruse, he said: “If there is no mechanism in place to check their entry, Meghalaya could become the next Tripura.” According to the police, Indian citizens have invariably helped Bangladeshi nationals to cross over into Meghalaya and other border states illegally.
There have been also cases of scores of African nationals entering the country illegally through the India-Bangladesh border in Barak Valley and passing through Meghalaya and Assam to other parts of the country.
