On Illegal Migrants From Bangladesh, Himanta Sarma's Appeal To Bengal

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said today that 138 people trying to enter India from Bangladesh have been detected in the last two months in Assam and Tripura and that the border states must stay vigilant to avoid such infiltration. 

Addressing a press conference, Mr Sarma said, "Every day for the last two months, we have been capturing either one or a group of foreigners in our state. Basically, my feeling is that because of the porous boundary between India and Bangladesh, in spite of the best effort by the BSF, there are some people who are still coming into our country." 

States need to play a proactive role to prevent illegal immigration from Bangladesh into our country, Mr Sarma said, adding that Assam and Tripura are working very closely in this direction. He called on the West Bengal government to also cooperate with the Border Security Force and start detecting infiltrators. 

"Tripura is identifying a few foreigners, and Assam is also identifying...We are coordinating with the BSF. Sometimes, people are identified through a joint operation, sometimes by the BSF, and sometimes by the state police. It is a coordinated exercise," Mr Sarma said. 

"Every state government must remain vigilant and they must work very, very closely with the BSF. So, Assam and Tripura, we are working very closely. We are detecting people. If the Bengal government also starts detecting people, I think this will be well-orchestrated and this will be a systematic effort," he added.

Mr Sarma also said that contrary to the expectation that Hindus from Bangladesh would try to enter India due to the "instability" there, it is mostly Rohingya Muslims who are being detected infiltrating. 

"So I think, first, the perception about Hindu-Bengalis is wrong, that is what the data says. Second, Second, the Rohingya Muslims are still trying to come into the various states of our country," he said.