INFILTRATION OF BANGLADESHIS
FROM ASSAM BORDER
LOK SABHA
The Government of
Assam has reported that illegal infiltration from erstwhile East
Pakistan to Assam was going on for many years even prior to Independence.
Due to various preventive measures taken by the Government the
flow of illegal migrants from Bangladesh to Assam has come down.
Identification of illegal migrants staying in the State are difficult
because they (illegal migrants) enter surreptitiously and are
able to mingle easily with the local population due to ethnic
and linguistic similarities. Some covert activities sponsored
by the Pak ISI are also reported from different parts of the State
from time to time. This was stated by the Minister of State for
Home, Shri I.D. Swami in a written statement in the Lok Sabha
today. He made the statement after collection of information on
the subject as wanted by some members in the House on 16th
July, 2002.
He said, to neutralize
activities of ISI agents, Government have adopted a well coordinated
and multi-pronged approach which includes strengthening the border
management, gearing up of intelligence machinery, well coordinated
intelligence based action against ISI agents and militants sponsored
by them, setting up of outposts of security forces and modernization
and up-gradation of police and security forces with advanced sophisticated
weapons and communication system etc. Steps taken in this regard
have resulted in detection/neutralization of various ISI backed
modules.
Besides, a series
of measures have also been taken by the Government to curb the
problem of infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals into India. These
include raising of additional Battalions of Border Security Force,
reduction of gaps between the border outposts, intensification
of patrolling both on the land and the riverine border, accelerated
programme of construction of border roads and fencing, increase
in the number of outpost towers, provision of surveillance equipments
etc. The matter has also been taken up with the Government of
Bangladesh on various occasions. The progress of these measures
is reviewed regularly at various levels.
