Meghalaya on high alert ahead of Bangladesh elections

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: Ahead of Bangladesh's parliamentary elections scheduled for February 12, the Meghalaya Government has stepped up border vigilance and placed district administrations across the state on high alert to respond swiftly to any security-related inputs. Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Home (Police) Prestone Tynsong said on Tuesday that irrespective of elections or no elections in the neighbouring country, Meghalaya has strengthened its border management by activating trained Village Defence Parties (VDPs) as a second line of defence along the international border with Bangladesh and the inter-state boundary with Assam. The VDPs will work in close coordination with the Border Security Force and the state police.

Reiterating the state government's consistent security posture, Tynsong said precautionary measures are being enforced regardless of electoral developments across the border. "We do that we do irrespective of whether elections or no elections we are taking precautionary measures to this effect," he added.

Addressing a concern on the issue of illegal immigration, the Deputy Chief Minister said, "It's an ongoing process, any illegal immigrant coming to India from different parts of our country, so the act is there, the law is there, the enforcers are there, so we take action accordingly as per the provision of the law, so thats what we are doing till today. If you talk about the illegal immigration this is the national subject. As far as the situation we have in Bangladesh, now we have decided from the state Government that we will also reactivate the function of the Village Defence Parties in all the international border as well as in the interstate Border with Assam."

He clarified that while the Village Defence Parties are being reactivated, they will not necessarily be provided with arms at this stage. "Not necessary arms we will give further training, we will have some kind of training and then we will see what are the basic requirements needed to be done, that we are in the process of completing this whole issue then we will give some more training to VDPs so that they also handle this issue (of Illegal immigration)," Tynsong said.

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