Bangladesh should not again be a safe haven for insurgents in Northeast India: Assam CM

Guwahati: Expressing concern over the present unrest in Bangladesh, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the neighbouring nation should not again become a "safe haven" for insurgents in Northeast India as "it did before Sheikh Hasina became the Prime Minister".

"The situation in Bangladesh is a concern for two reasons: one, this carries the possibility of an influx of people into India and so our border has to be protected well. Second, Bangladesh should not again be a safe haven for insurgents in the Northeast. After Sheikh Hasina became the Prime Minister, insurgents were flushed out and this helped in establishing peace in our region," Sarma told reporters in Guwahati.

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Sarma said he is hopeful that the Centre would talk to the new government and convey the concerns of the Northeastern states. "I am sure our Prime Minister Narendra Modi will ensure and convey to the new government that Bangladesh does not become a shelter for the insurgents," he said.

Concern for eastern India

Stating that the demography in Assam, Bengal and Jharkhand was changing very fast, Sarma said, "I am concerned about what will be the situation in Assam in 2041 if it becomes a Muslim majority state. The situation in Bangladesh is a concern for the entire eastern India."

India has stepped up vigil along the 4,096-km border with Bangladesh in Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Bengal in view of fear of influx expressed by people and organisations in the region.

BSF DG visits Tripura

BSF director general, Daljit Singh Chawdhary visited Tripura on Wednesday and took stock of the operational preparedness along the border with Bangladesh. He also held a meeting with DG Tripura police Amitabh Ranjan and ADG, law and order Anurag Dhankar on various issues concerning the state, said a statement issued by the Tripura frontier of BSF.

Bangladeshi nationals arrested

BSF on Wednesday said 11 Bangladeshi nationals were detained in two separate operations at Gajaria and Amtali in West Tripura district in the past 24 hours. They were illegally staying in Tripura and were planning to go back to Bangladesh. The BSF also seized 10,000 banned yaba tablets, worth Rs 50 lakh at Srinagar area near Agartala, which shares a border with Bangladesh. They were suspected to be smugglers.