Shillong: The Meghalaya government has directed district administrations to initiate the process of imposing curfew in areas along the international border amid concerns over illegal crossings from Bangladesh, even as the Pnar Students Movement (PSM), Jowai Circle, has demanded the immediate restoration of an Anti-Infiltration Directorate check gate along the Jowai-Dawki road.
Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Prestone Tynsong on Tuesday said the decision was taken during a meeting he chaired with officials of the BSF and Meghalaya Police to discuss the issue of people entering the state from across the border.
Tynsong said district administrations had been directed to first hold meetings with traditional heads, including Rangbah Shnongs, in the border areas.
“We have already directed the respective district administration to have a brief meeting with all the concerned traditional heads or the Rangbah Shnong. And thereafter, curfew will be imposed,” Tynsong said.
He said Village Defence Parties (VDPs) had already been activated, particularly in villages located along the international border, and were being coordinated with traditional heads and local authorities.
“We have already activated all the VDPs, especially in those international border villages. And we are also closely working together with the traditional heads, with the headmen and then with the VDP,” he said.
The government’s move comes as the PSM has raised concerns over security along the Jowai-Dawki corridor and demanded the restoration of an anti-infiltration mechanism.
A delegation of the PSM, Jowai Circle, met Tynsong on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum seeking the immediate establishment of an Anti-Infiltration Directorate check gate at a strategic location along the Jowai-Dawki road.
After the meeting, PSM legal secretary Lidarpaia Dkhar said the organisation had raised serious concerns over border security along the route and demanded the restoration of the anti-infiltration mechanism.
According to the PSM, an Anti-Infiltration Directorate check gate was earlier operational in the Dawki area to monitor vehicles and the movement of people. However, the organisation said the gate had been discontinued or left non-functional in recent years, leaving the corridor vulnerable and poorly monitored.
The PSM alleged that there had been recent security lapses and attempts by Bangladeshi nationals to cross into the Indian side through porous stretches in the Dawki sector.
Such alleged crossings, it said, could pose a threat to internal security and the safety of residents in border areas.
The organisation demanded the immediate redeployment of a fully functional anti-infiltration check gate at a strategic location on the Jowai-Dawki highway. It also sought the sanctioning and filling of the required staff to operate the check gate.
It further demanded regular joint operations by the police, district administration, intelligence agencies and other concerned authorities along vulnerable roads, footpaths, river routes and other transit points connected to the Jowai-Dawki corridor.
The memorandum was addressed to Tynsong, with copies sent to the SP, Anti-Infiltration Directorate, Deputy Commissioner of West Jaintia Hills and SP, West Jaintia Hills.
The PSM said strengthening border surveillance was important not only for national security but also to protect indigenous communities and maintain stability in border areas.
Terrain poses challenges
Responding to questions over how people are able to cross into India despite the presence of the BSF, Tynsong said the difficult terrain and poor accessibility along Meghalaya’s border posed significant challenges for security forces.
“We need to understand the ground reality. The ground reality, as far as Meghalaya is concerned, you know well, the accessibility is not like in the plain belt, not like West Bengal or other parts of the country,” he said.
According to Tynsong, several stretches of the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border remain difficult to access, particularly at night.
“Even if the BSF come in one place, next, maybe after 100 metres, especially night time, you can’t see,” he said.
He said infrastructure along the border was still inadequate to effectively monitor every stretch.
“The required infrastructure is still not that as expected. So therefore, I’m telling the challenges are there,” Tynsong said.
However, he maintained that both the BSF and Meghalaya Police were working to prevent infiltration.
“In spite of those challenges, be it the BSF or be it a police force, we are on the job and we would like to see that infiltration is zero down to zero level,” he said.
Earlier, Tynsong said the meeting had also discussed reports of local people allegedly helping those crossing the border. He said instructions had been issued to the police, district administrations and BSF to strengthen vigilance.
He had also pointed to stretches of the international border in East Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills where fencing remains incomplete and the terrain makes access difficult.
Tynsong said the government was also looking into the possibility of intermediaries or agents facilitating the movement of people across the border.
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