Karimganj border remains vulnerable despite intelligence warning

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Special Correspondent SILCHAR, Nov 17: “It is really amazing that despite intelligence warning for long, Karimgang border with Bangladesh still remains porous. It appears that neither the Centre nor the State Government has learnt anything from the serial blasts across the country and recently in Asom in which Bangladeshi link has been more than pronounced”, this is how Biswaroop Bhattacharjee, BJP President of the border district observed while talking to The Sentinel today. He said this border sector has assumed notorious significance because of unabated cross-border infiltration and terrorists’ movement. He revealed after ground study that of the 92 km border in this sector, 41 km is riverine and the rest 51 km land. He referred to the stretches of border between Makhan-Putni hilly areas which are yet to be fenced. The Centre has been under constant pressure from the people to fence the entire border area of Karimganj, he said. On the area between Sarisa and Tilabazar (3.5 km), near the town, no work on fencing has been taken up. The same is the story of the portion of border form Patharkandi to Lathitila and Dumabari (3 km). Malegarh area near Latu, the scene of the first ever Sepoy Mutiny in northeast is also porous. In all 7 km of border is completely unprotected which encourages the influx of illegal migrants, militants and terrorists. Bhattacharjee pointed out his party sent a memorandum to the President of India on the sensitive issue of national importance, but he regretted to say, “there has been no acknowledgement of it, leave aside initiating any action”. The Deputy Commissioner was requested to arrange floodlights for effective vigilance and surveillance along the vulnerable areas of the border. There is no action on this front either. The overall scenario, he added to say, remains unchanged. In the given situation, it is difficult to prevent the cross border movement. It is to be recalled that a Bangladeshi identified as Helal Ahmed (30) who was arrested by BSF hours after explosions in Jaipur that killed 63 people from Patharkandi area in May last while infiltrating to Karimganj border was the sector commander of HuJI in Sylhet. Later on, it came out that he was one of the masterminds of the Pink City genocide. The officer in charge of Patharkandi police station, Gyanendra Prasad Bania, is on record to say, “we are sure that he is a hardcore jehadi and a senior HuJI militant. We have collected all evidence from across the border. A narco-analyst test is necessary because he has not made his identity clear”. He has also links with Jamat-i-Islamic, a Bangladesh based jehadi outfit and operates from Dhaka.Intelligence wings of Union Home Ministry, army and BSF have umpteen times cautioned hoe illegal Bangladeshi migrants help terrorists. These agencies believed that the Bangladeshis are not only providing a safe haven to HuJI men but also extend other services to them. This act of terror is widening in the country because migrants have spread their enclaves to various parts of the country. Their estimate is that over 2 million illegal Bangladeshis have crossed over to India in the last three decades.Yet, there is no urgency on the part of the Union Home Ministry to seal the border. Considering the gravity of the situation, security and intelligence agencies say the 8 existing infiltration check posts at Sheralipur, Chargola, Jharapata, Jagannthi, Kalkalighat, Lathu, Kukital and Malua should be strengthened with more staff and that a few more check posts be added. It is also demanded that 34 border out posts manned by BSF should be enhanced by adding a few more. Biswaroop Bhattacharjee expressed his concern at the fact the 186 Bangladeshis who entered to the three border police posts of Karimganj, Suprakandi and Mahisasan with valid passports did not return even after expiry of their stay order. There is no information about them with the State Government. He fears these Bangladeshis might have entered with forged or fake passports. He demanded that since it poses security threat, they should be identified and pushed back. source: sentinel assam