Assam governor calls for urgent steps
to prevent Bangla infiltration
Assam Governor S K Sinha has called for concrete steps to be taken soon to stop the ceaseless infiltration from Bangladesh.
In a report submitted to President K R Narayanan last month, Sinha, a former vice-chief of the Indian Army, also suggested that the highly discriminatory Illegal Migration Determination Tribunal Act, which has proved its futility over the last 15 years, be repealed.
The retired lieutenant general said awareness should be created about illegal migration, which not only threatens the identity of the Assamese, but also national security. He warned that if the illegal immigration isn't checked, it might even result in the entire North-East being severed from India.
He suggested that the Border Security Force battalions deployed in the state should not be given the responsibility of holding unduly extended frontages. As in Punjab, a battalion should hold a frontage of just 30km. Additional BSF battalions should be provided and diversion of the personnel for other duties must be avoided.
He also said the National Register of Citizens should be updated and computerised and a separate register of stateless citizens should also be maintained.
Multi-purpose photo identity cards should be given to all nationals, with a higher priority accorded to districts bordering Bangladesh.
The report has evoked mixed response. While the All-Assam Students' Union, which had sponsored a six-year agitation on the issue of deporting foreign nationals in the early Eighties, has demanded deployment of the army along the border to curb infiltration, the Minority Students Union and the United Minority Front have demanded that the governor be recalled.
UNI
Tell us what you think of this report
|
