Tripura no longer a safe zone for infiltrators, says CM Saha

Agartala, July 3 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Thursday that infiltrators from Bangladesh also realised that this bordering state (Tripura) is not a safe zone for them.

The Chief Minister said that from day one after an instruction from the government, all the security agencies are on a high alert to prevent the illegal infiltrators from entering India.

“After the trouble began in Bangladesh and following the fall of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in August last year, security forces maintained a close vigil along the border to foil any kind of infiltration bid,” Saha, who also holds the home portfolio, told the media.

He said it is also not possible to enter Tripura and live here using fake Aadhaar cards.

The Chief Minister recently held meetings with the senior security officials of different agencies, including BSF, and requested the officials in the state to maintain close coordination among them to deal with the border-related issues and other related developments in view of the tension between India and Pakistan.

The Chief Minister had further stated that if such infiltrators from across the border manage to enter Indian (Tripura) territory, they would be pushed back as per legal provisions.

Ruling BJP's ally, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) headed by former royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma recently launched a widespread anti-infiltration campaign across the state.

The TMP’s senior leader and Forest and Environment Minister Animesh Debbama had said that no infiltrators would be allowed to stay in Tripura.

BSF officials said that the para-military troops have enhanced vigil and intensified its domination along the International Border since the violence in Bangladesh began in June-July last year, specially after the fall of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5 last year.

Tripura, which has an 856 km border with Bangladesh, is surrounded on three sides by the neighbouring country, making the northeastern state very vulnerable and sensitive to cross-border migration issues.

Except for some patches, most of the frontier had been fenced to prevent smuggling, trans-border crimes, cross-border illegal movements by infiltrators and inimical elements.

Meanwhile, the security forces of Tripura and other northeastern states following the instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) have intensified their efforts to detect Bangladeshi, Rohingyas and foreign nationals who are hiding in Indian territories.

--IANS

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