BSF apprehends 9685 illegal Bangladeshi migrants from Indo-Bangla border

Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said in the Parliament that 540 Bangladeshi people have been apprehended by the Border Security Force (BSF) in the last eight months from different locations of the international border.

New Delhi: As many as 9685 illegal migrants have been apprehended by Border Security Force (BSF) from along the Indo-Bangla international border since 2015.

Giving this information in the Parliament, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said that 540 Bangladeshi people have been apprehended by the BSF in the last eight months from different locations of the international border.

"...Illegal migrants can enter clandestinely and surreptitiously, mainly due to difficult reverie terrain in parts of the international border with Bangladesh which are not amenable to physical fencing," said Rai.

The statistics given by the Home Ministry on the entry of illegal migrants have once again brought it to the limelight that illegal influx from Bangladesh is still going in.

Such illegal influx from across the border has always been a matter of concern where several organisations mainly students bodies from the Northeast keep demanding to the Government for total fencing of the entire Indo-Bangla border.

The history Assam agitation that rocked the nation in the early 80s had its roots in illegal influx from Bangladesh. The influential All Assam Students Union (AASU) had initiated six years long anti-foreigners movement demanding the deportation of such illegal influx.

Statistics from the Home Ministry said that out of the 4086.70 km long Indo-Bangla border, a total of 3120.032 km have fended to date. The remaining areas of about 976.668 are yet to be fenced.

Five states share their border with Bangladesh including West Bengal (2216.70 km), Assam (263.00), Meghalaya (443.00), Mizoram (318.00), and Tripura (856.00).

Rai informed that the fencing work could not be completed due to difficult terrain, short working season, land acquisition problems, public protests, objections by Border Guard Bangladesh, and recently the Covid19 situation.

"The government regularly monitors the progress of work along the India Bangladesh border to ensure its completion," said Rai.

He further informed that the riverine areas along the border are dominated through floating border outposts, patrolling with boats, foot patrolling along river banks during day and night, and by conducting special operations with state police.