Plugging holes on Bangladesh border

Deepening bilateral cooperation between India and Bangladesh has helped the two South Asian neighbours to expedite many ongoing projects aimed at facilitating more trade and commerce and enhancing mutual interdependence for economic growth. The bilateral engagement, however, has failed to allay the apprehension of the indigenous people in Assam and other North-eastern states of influx of illegal migrants through porous India-Bangladesh border. The Central government informed the Lok Sabha in September that about 977 km of the total 4096.70 km long India-Bangladesh border is yet to be fenced. Assam shares 263 km of India-Bangladesh border of which 52.98 km is yet to be sealed. West Bengal has the maximum stretch of 578 km of its total 2216 km long borders with Bangladesh unfenced. The government informed the Lower House of the parliament that some migrants from the neighbouring country manage to sneak in through some of the porous sections of the international borders in which erecting barbed wire fence is difficult. In Meghalaya, 117.22 km of the total 325.77 km borders with the neighbouring country is still uncovered.

Information tabled by the Ministry of Home Affairs present a similar situation in Mizoram as 162 km of total 318 km of its borders with Bangladesh is still open. In Tripura, 64.88 km of the total 856 km long borders with the neighbouring country is still unfenced. The government attributes the delay in fencing the international border to inaccessibility, issues of land acquisitions, opposition by local residents, objection by Bangladesh Border Guards in unfenced stretches. The government's reply in the Lok Sabha shows that the elusiveness of the solution has also become as old as the problems. Installation of the smart fence under the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System project is expected to augment the surveillance of Border Security Force along the riverine stretches in Assam which constitutes major part of the border gaps in the state. But there was no word on the status of the project. One year has already elapsed since India and Bangladesh issued a joint statement during an official visit of Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina to India emphasizing the importance of effective border management for ensuring a tranquil, stable and crime free border. Towards this goal, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart directed their respective border forces to complete border fencing at all pending sectors at the international border at the earliest. India must set a definite deadline to complete the work. The Clause 9 of the Assam Accord promises that the international border shall be made secure against future infiltration by erection of physical barriers like walls, barbed wire fencing and other obstacles at appropriate places. It is unfortunate that 35 years have elapsed since the singing of the accord, but this important clause has remained unimplemented in true spirit.

The successive Central governments showed a lackadaisical attitude towards the problem of India-Bangladesh border kept porous and vulnerable to illegal migration. Mere sealing of Assam-Bangladesh border will not allay the apprehension of the people as large number of illegal migrants taking advantage of corrupt practices in issuing of citizenship documents have managed to obtain such documents. Exclusion of as many as 19.06 lakh applicants from the final list of the updated National Register of Citizens and allegations of wrongful inclusion in the updated NRC point towards illegal migrants entering through porous stretches in international borders in other states and settling in Assam after March 24, 1971 which is the cut-off date for implementing the core clauses of accord. The updating process being document-based wrongful exclusions of genuine Indian citizens cannot be ruled out. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019 which promises to grant Indian citizenship non-Muslim post 1971 illegal migrants who came till December 31, 2014, therefore, has triggered apprehension of many more illegal migrants entering the state through porous stretches of India-Bangladesh border. The demand for rollback of CAA is getting fresh momentum with formation of new regional parties by the organisations opposing the amendments in the citizenship laws. The issue of sealing of India-Bangladesh border is also set to gain momentum with revived anti-CAA agitation. The government must fast track the barbed wire fence project and smart fence project in the entire stretch of 977 km of unfenced India-Bangladesh border to allay apprehension among indigenous people in North-eastern states of being overwhelmed. India must take note of caution sounded by strategic defence experts to remain prepared for current engagement of mutual cooperation with Bangladesh being adversely affected by change in dispensation in Bangladesh. India must seize the opportunity cooperation promised by Bangladesh for completing border fencing work at the earliest. A positive development in this regard will go a long way in people in North-eastern states showing more interest in taking part in the enhanced bilateral engagement between the two neighbours.