A high alert has been declared along the border with Bangladesh with fresh Intelligence Bureau inputs suggesting that there could be a major influx of illegal immigrants.
An Intelligence Bureau official told Organiser that fresh attempts are being made to send in scores of people from Bangladesh into the states of Assam and West Bengal. With the focus being more on the Myanmar border, it is felt that it would be easier to infiltrate through the Bangladesh border, the official also noted.
Activity increased along border
Currently there is plenty of activity along the border. Scores of Hindus who are being persecuted are trying to flee Bangladesh and reach Bharat. On December 1, dozens of people were detained in Bangladesh when they were trying to cross the border. Members of ISKCON who are being targeted in Bangladesh were trying to enter Bharat, but they were stopped by the authorities and detained.
The authorities in Bangladesh told them that their travel was not authorised. Another official said that they had received institutions from higher officials to stop them from leaving the country.
Imtiaz Ahsanul Quader Bhuiyan, a Benapole Immigration Police office said that they consulted with the special branch and got instructions not to permit them to cross the border.
This development comes in the wake of the members of ISKCON being repeatedly targeted following the outbreak of violence in Bangladesh. Members of the organisation have been arrested and their bank accounts frozen.
These developments have led to the Intelligence agencies sounding a high alert along the border. They assess that Bangladesh by increasing activity along the border would use it to their advantage to force illegal infiltrations into Bharat.
Terror groups in particular would look to take advantage of the fragile situation and send in their men into Bharat, officials also say.
Drug trade thriving
The drug lords operating both in Bharat and Bangladesh are taking advantage of the volatile situation and are trying to enhance drug trade. Scores of attempts have been made to smuggle drugs into both the countries since the outbreak of violence following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.
However the Border Security Force has been on a state of high alert and has thwarted many attempts big and small where smugglers have tried to bring in or take the drugs out.
The BSF posted along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura thwarted a major attempt that was made to smuggle narcotics. The BSF seized contraband comprising marijuana an brown sugar valued at Rs 4,44,619.
The BSF later said that this drug bust is one among the many. It underscores the BSF’s ongoing commitment to securing the border and preventing smuggling activities. The BSF assures continued vigilance to combat illegal trade in the region, the agency also said.
Infiltrations under check
While various attempts have been made data from the last six years shows that there has not been any significant rise ten the number of undocumented people entering or leaving Indian on the border with Bangladesh in the wake of the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.
While the numbers are under check, the latest input suggests that fresh attempts are being made to infiltrate a large number of illegal immigrants into Bharat. According to the data available since Hasina left the country, the Indian agencies have apprehended 1,393 Bangladeshis along the International Border. Between January 1 and August 4, the number of such apprehensions stood at 1,444.
In all 3,907 undocumented people have been apprehended along the Bangladesh border this year.
In 2023 as many as 5,095 undocumented people were intercepted which includes 3,137 Bangladeshis. In 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, the number of Bangladeshis apprehended stood at 2,995, 2,480, 3,295, 2,451, and 3,074 respectively.
Following the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, the spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote, the BSF has stepped up vigil along the border. A BSF official said that there could be instances where the minority community in Bangladesh may look to come into India. There were some reports from Dinajpur in north Bengal, but no mass movement has been reported as yet.
Agitation at the border
Meanwhile the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have announced an agitation at the Petrapole International Border in West Bengal’s North 24 Paraganas district.
The BJP said that this protest was apolitical and members of the Congress and other parties can join them.
The protests are being held against the atrocities that are being meted out to Hindus in Bangladesh. The interim government in Bangladesh has allowed the attacks on the Hindus. It has to face the consequences. Millions of Hindus in India will not sit silent, the BJP’s Bengal general secretary Agnimitra Paul said.
The BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari while protesting at the Bangladesh deputy high commission in Kolkata threatened to stop trade with Bangladesh by blocking movement of goods through land ports in the border districts.
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