Ensure no Bangladeshi enters Northeast illegally, NESO urges PM Narendra Modi

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The NESO (North East Students' Organization) has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that no Bangladeshi enters the Northeast illegally from violence-hit Bangladesh. The students' body has also urged the Prime Minister not to give asylum or rehabilitation to any Bangladesh in the Northeast.

The NESO, a conglomerate of eight students' organizations from northeastern states, urged the Prime Minister today, "The ongoing crisis in Bangladesh will and may lead to an exodus of its nationals into our country, especially in the Northeast. Past events indicate that whenever there is a civil war or riot in Bangladesh, the Northeast always has to bear the brunt of mass illegal immigration from the neighbouring country. During the partition in 1947, lakhs of Bengalis from East Pakistan illegally crossed the border and forcibly occupied lands in Assam and Tripura. Similarly, during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, lakhs of East Pakistanis migrated to India, including the Northeast, creating a demographic imbalance, especially in the states of Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya."

The NESO said, "Such unabated flow of immigrants into the region thus leads to insecurity, agitations, riots, and clashes between these foreigners and the indigenous people. Therefore, the NESO humbly seeks your immediate intervention to ensure that no Bangladeshi enters the Northeast illegally. We also request that you not provide asylum or rehabilitate any Bangladeshi in the Northeast. At this juncture, it is also imperative for the Government of India to ensure that the border between the Northeast and Bangladesh should be thoroughly and strictly manned so as to detect attempted illegal migration from across the border."

The letter from NESO's chairman Samuel Jyrwa and general secretary Mutsikhoyo Yhobu also said, "Illegal foreigners settle in the lands of the indigenous communities without the consent of the community leaders and thus create a sense of animosity between the two groups. The illegal settlement of millions of foreigners leads to a drastic alteration of the demographic structure in most of the northeastern states. Owing to the small population of indigenous communities, the illegal foreigners overwhelmed the minuscule indigenous populace overnight. It is worth noting that Assam has and is still experiencing a mass influx of illegal migrants, which led to a six-year-long Assam movement, causing martyrdom in 860 lives, which eventually led to the signing of the Assam Accord that promised to deport illegal Bangladeshis from Assam. Similarly, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh witnessed mass movements in the past and till date demanding immediate deportation of all foreigners from their states after migrants overwhelmed the indigenous communities in many pockets of their respective states."

 Also Read: Assam CM Assures No Illegal Bangladeshi Infiltration Amidst Crisis (sentinelassam.com)

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