Author: IANS
Publication: The Sentinel, Assam
Date: February 7, 2003
Villagers along the Assam border
formed vigilante groups on Thursday to help the security forces check illegal
infiltration from Bangladesh.
"Our troops are on full alert in
the border areas with the local villagers helping them to foil any attempt
by Bangladeshis to infiltrate into the region," Assam Chief Minister Tarun
Gogoi told IANS.
"The villagers are the best custodians
of this sensitive and unfenced international border."
India shares a 4,095-km border with
Bangladesh, including more than 2,000 km of unfenced border, along the
country's north-eastern region.
The formation of vigilante groups
comes amid a bitter stand-off over 213 Hindu families trapped in 'no-man's
land' who New Delhi says were intercepted at a border post while attempting
to cross over from Bangladesh.
Indian Border Security Force (BSF)
soldiers and State Police forces have been deployed in strength along the
border with fresh reinforcements sent to certain vulnerable areas.
"We are taking no chances and are
prepared in the event force is used by Bangladesh to push migrants into
our country," an Assam Police official said.
Indian Army Chief, General NC Vij
arrives in Tripura, one of the Indian states bordering Bangladesh, Thursday
to review the security situation in the region.
The latest row has sparked off fears
about Bangladeshi infiltration into Meghalaya, which shares a 433-km unfenced
border with Bangladesh.
In April 2000, Bangladesh Rifles
(BDR) personnel entered Pyrdiwah, a village in Meghalaya, and took 28 BSF
troopers hostage. The forcible intrusion into Pyrdiwah led to a border
skirmish that left 16 BSF and three BDR soldiers dead.
"After the latest stand-off over
the 213 snake charmers, border villagers in Meghalaya are apprehensive
about Bangladeshi attempts to terrorize people here," said John F Kharshiing,
a local tribal chief.
"Our villagers have been patrolling
the border at night with bows and arrows to prevent any infiltration of
Bangladeshis," he said.
Indian frontier guards along the
North-east have also stepped up vigil.
"The border in our area of responsibility
is peaceful but our forces are on maximum alert. We don't think Bangladesh
would dare to create any trouble here," JP Mohlla, a BSF deputy inspector
general, told IANS.
Meanwhile, tribal chieftains in
Meghalaya urged the Indian Government to raise a "people's army" of border
villagers to defend the frontier.
"More than 20,000 able bodied youths
along Meghalaya's border with Bangladesh have pledged to enrol themselves
as frontier guards to protect our territorial integrity which is under
threat from Bangladesh," said Laborious Manik Syiem, a chieftain with the
Khasi tribe.
"We want the Government to first
provide the youths with arms-training and then equip them with weapons
so that they can repulse any move by Dhaka to occupy our territory."
