Assam Police foil Bangladeshi infiltration attempt: CM Sarma

Guwahati, Oct 29 (IANS) Assam Police foiled another attempt at illegal Bangladeshi infiltration along the international border, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday.

The incident happened in the Karimganj district near the Indo-Bangladesh international border. The Bangladeshi man identified as Md. Mustakin Islam was arrested by the security forces after he entered the Indian territory without valid documents.

Islam was pushed back to Bangladesh following his arrest.

Taking to X handle, Sarma wrote, “Tackling Illegal Infiltration Alert jawans of @assampolice apprehended one Bangladeshi national near the International border in Karimganj and pushed him back across the border.”

“We will continue to keep a strict vigil along the border,” he added.

The security vigilance along the international border with Bangladesh was heightened following the unrest in the neighbouring country.

Sarma earlier asserted that although some of the Bangladeshi infiltrators managed to get Aadhaar cards, they could not enrol themselves in the voter list.

He said: “There is no chance that people cross illegally the international border from Bangladesh and get themselves enrolled in the voter list in Assam because we have caught many people who illegally entered Indian territory and they were pushed back within a few hours. Most of the infiltrators were arrested in the morning around 5 AM and before 9 AM in the morning, they were pushed back to the neighbouring country. In two or three hours, they can not register themselves in the voter list.”

However, the Chief Minister sees no harm in remaining double vigilant in this matter.

“We have decided to take a slew of measures against the detection of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh because there might have been possibilities that a few infiltrators could not be arrested by the security personnel,” he added.

The Chief Minister asserted that people from Bangladesh come to India as poverty has climbed up in the neighbouring country after the recent unrest following the departure of the Sheikh Hasina government there. 

He also claimed that contrary to conventional apprehension, mainly people who belong to the Muslim community have been trying to cross the border and enter India illegally for the sake of jobs.