We don’t want Northeast to be a second Bangladesh: NESO

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The North East Students’ Organization (NESO) wants the indigenous people of the Northeast to hold the key to their political rights, and to make this really happen, the central and state governments should take appropriate measures to make the region free from illegal immigrants.

At the initiative of its chief advisor, Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharjya, the NESO held a meeting in Guwahati today. Representatives from all student organizations of the Northeast took part in the meeting and discussed a whole lot of issues, including encroachments of forest lands, illegal immigration, CAA, NRC, etc.

Disclosing the decisions taken at the meeting, Bhattacharjya said, “The entire Northeast is against illegal immigrants. The Central and the state governments need to accord top priority to the detection, deletion and deportation of illegal immigrants. We demand the Central government start special operations to root out illegal Bangladeshis from the Northeast. Pakistan- and Bangladesh-based fundamentalist groups have been actively operating anti-Northeast activities in the region. We don’t want the Northeast to be a second Bangladesh. If the Central government can conduct special operations against fundamentalists in Jammu and Kashmir, why cannot it do the same in the Northeast? The threat from fundamentalist groups is for the entire country, let alone the Northeast.”

Bhattacharjya said, “We’ve been repeatedly raising these issues. However, the central government has failed to address them. We’re going to stage sit-in demonstrations in all state capitals of the northeastern states on August 18, 2025, in support of our demands.”

On the eviction drive, the NESO advisor said, “Such drives should continue in Assam. We demand all states of the Northeast should conduct such drives to free their forest lands from encroachers.”

Bhattacharjya further said, “Infiltration of foreigners is a grave threat to the indigenous people of the Northeast. We’re ready to fight this threat together. The governments in the region need to detect illegal immigrants, delete their names from voter lists and deport them to get rid of the problem, besides shielding the international border with Bangladesh.”

The NESO leaders also expressed grave concern over the situation in Manipur. They feel that the Government of India has not taken tangible measures to restore peace in Manipur. The NESO appealed to the communities of Manipur to sit across the table and sink their differences through dialogues. The NESO leaders also expressed concern over the lingering Chakma issue in Arunachal Pradesh, besides the influx into Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, etc.

Bhattacharjya said, “NESO demands the abrogation of the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) from the entire Northeast. The Act has been implemented in a few areas, including Assam, in the Northeast. We stick to our long-standing demand for the introduction of the ILP (inner line permit) in all the northeastern states.”

On NRC, Bhattacharjya said, “All the northeastern states should have NRCs. The AASU will move the Supreme Court for revision of the Assam NRC.”

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