Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha asks BSF to tighten  border vigil as infiltration from Bangladesh increases

AGARTALA: Amid rising infiltration from Bangladesh into Tripura, Chief Minister Manik Saha has asked the Border Security Force (BSF) to tighten vigil along the 856 km International Border, officials said here on Friday.

An official of the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said that CM Saha, who also holds the Home portfolio, Thursday night held a meeting with top BSF officials and asked them to maintain strict vigil along the border and to take appropriate steps to prevent the infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals into Indian territory.

"CM Saha expressed concern over the recent rise in the infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals into Indian territory. He directed the concerned officials to take stringent action against those involved in providing shelter and facilitating illegal border crossings," the CMO official said.

A BSF spokesman said that Deputy Inspector General of BSF S.K. Sinha, who was present in the meeting, mentioned that the availability of manpower on the border has been affected due to the recent parliamentary election and the deployment of BSF troops in strife-torn Manipur. Sinha assured that concerted efforts with all agencies would yield positive results.

"Identifying and taking action against touts would reduce infiltration incidents. Sinha also informed that the BSF is in the process of installing electronic gadgets for border surveillance at vulnerable patches. Several other issues were also discussed during the meeting," the BSF spokesman said.

Tripura Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Anurag and other officials were present in the meeting.

Around 100 Bangladeshi nationals, including women and children, were arrested at Agartala railway station for entering India without any valid travel documents during the past two months.

The Bangladeshi citizens told the security personnel that they came to Tripura illegally to go to Delhi or other cities of India by train in search of jobs. A huge number of Rohingyas were also arrested in Agartala Railway Station and different parts of Tripura in the recent past after they illegally entered Tripura from Bangladesh.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested several people in Tripura recently in connection with cases registered in Guwahati for involvement in human trafficking of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas into the Indian territory through the state, the last of them arrested on June 16.

A series of arrests of drug peddlers, gun suppliers and human traffickers came to light recently in Tripura, which is being used as a corridor for trafficking.

The BSF said in a report earlier this year that they arrested 744 persons illegally crossing the International Border in 2023, including 112 Rohingyas and 337 Bangladeshi nationals in different operations. In 2022, BSF detained 369 individuals, including 59 Rohingyas and 150 Bangladeshi nationals. (IANS)

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