Letters to THE EDITOR: Dismantle the network behind illegal migration

sentinelgroup@gmail.com

The efficacy of border enforcement lies not merely in apprehending unauthorised entrants but also in piercing the veil of apparent normalcy to establish their identities, trace their movements and dismantle the networks facilitating their entry. The reported involvement of a Bangladeshi national in the knife attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan in Mumbai, alongside allegations that he entered India through the Dawki route before travelling to Mumbai, has brought the issue into sharper national focus, as it is no longer confined to Assam alone.

The challenge is compounded in Assam, where linguistic and cultural affinities with the State's Bengali-speaking Muslim communities further complicate identification.

The reported detention of nearly 100 Bangladeshi nationals allegedly entering India through Dawki from Jaflong and traversing Meghalaya and Assam en route to other destinations raises troubling questions about Assam's possible use as a transit corridor. Interceptions at hotels, homestays, railway platforms, trains and airports warrant a comprehensive investigation into the modus operandi of the alleged facilitators.

Enforcement must go beyond apprehending individuals to expose the entire chain of touts, recruiters, transporters, document forgers, financial intermediaries and organisers sustaining this clandestine enterprise.

The Union Home Minister must urgently ensure coordinated action by the BSF, the Assam and Meghalaya Police, railway authorities, the Intelligence Bureau, immigration officials and relevant central agencies. Investigators must establish whether recurring routes, fraudulent documentation or official complicity facilitate these movements.

Unless the machinery behind unlawful entry is dismantled, arrests will treat the symptoms while leaving the disease untouched.

Shahin Yusuf

Guwahati

Literature Festival

The three-day literature festival for diplomats in the national capital, with a difference, could offer officials an opportunity to discuss books, not borders; tales, not trade; and poems, not protocol. Several veteran diplomat-writers are attending the festival, along with their peers from other countries.

As India's global stature grows, it becomes all the more imperative for the country to help the world see it the way India sees itself. Moreover, India's long and proud legacy of author-diplomats makes it the perfect host for such a summit. It is also an important step towards making foreign policy accessible to ordinary people.

Such unique events also provide an opportunity to promote the soft power of diplomacy through the words penned by its practitioners. The gathering of eminent diplomats and the presentation of their books will give the government an active role in using the skills of diplomats to communicate the country's experiences and perspectives to the world.

India will gain enormously from the views offered by invitees from other nations. Therefore, a literature festival for diplomats is a step in the right direction.

Iqbal Saikia

Guwahati

Real Gen Z

On October 15, the entire Indian contingent for the 2026 Asian Games was invited to a high tea hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence in the evening. It was truly a great sight to see the entire Indian contingent together in one place at the same time. As an Asomiya, I felt very proud to see our Lovlina Borgohain sitting beside PM Modi and exchanging views with him.

The members of the Indian contingent are the real Gen Z. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and his associates should take note that these are the real Gen Z of India, who have brought accolades to the country and are bringing smiles to the faces of every patriotic Indian.

DR. ASHIM CHOWDHURY

GUWAHATI