Assam’s sweeping eviction of alleged ‘illegal settlers’ has reignited fears of infiltration across India’s Northeast, raising alarms that undocumented migrants—many suspected to be Bangladeshi nationals—could spill into neighbouring states.
The eviction drive has sent ripples through adjoining Nagaland, where indigenous communities fear a spillover of evicted families. On Thursday, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio convened a high-level emergency meeting with top officials, including the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, to bolster vigilance along the state’s porous border with Assam.
Nagaland shares an extensive inter-state and international border spanning 1,033 kilometres in total: 512 km with Assam, 242 km with Manipur, 64 km with Arunachal Pradesh, and a 215 km international boundary with Myanmar.
The issue of undocumented Bangladeshi immigration into India has persisted for decades. India shares a 4,096-km-long border with Bangladesh, stretching across West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram—making large parts of the Northeast especially vulnerable to porous crossings and disputed settlements.
In the Northeast, decades of migration have transformed the social fabric of several districts, with reports indicating sharp rises in Muslim populations in border areas. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has described the “unchecked Muslim infiltration from across the border” as an “alarming demographic shift,” claiming that Hindus are on the verge of becoming a minority in some districts.
“In Assam, we are not fighting our own people. We are fearlessly resisting the ongoing, unchecked Muslim infiltration from across the border, which has already caused an alarming demographic shift. In several districts, Hindus are now on the verge of becoming a minority in their own land,” Sarma recently declared, responding to criticisms of the ongoing drive.
While Assam expels alleged settlers, Nagaland—despite enforcing the Inner Line Permit (ILP)—has not been spared. In the wake of the evictions, over 200 vehicles ferrying displaced families from Assam were turned back by Niuland district authorities this week, the Deputy Commissioner confirmed.
These developments have stirred unease among local residents in Nagaland, who fear such movements could trigger an influx of undocumented immigrants.
In response, border patrolling along the Assam-Nagaland frontier has been intensified.
“The state government is committed to upholding the security of its citizens and maintaining peace and stability. All necessary measures are being taken to ensure the situation remains under control and any unlawful activity is dealt with firmly in accordance with the law,” CM Rio assured.
Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton, who visited sensitive stretches like the Ralan area in Wokha district, pledged robust action to prevent any infiltration. Patton also held a public meeting at Liphanyan village, where community members voiced their concerns and urged stronger safeguards.
“It’s important to recognise that this issue goes beyond state lines—it is a national matter,” Patton said, assuring villagers that the government is taking proactive steps. To maintain calm and protect local interests, the state has deployed one company of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) in the Ralan area, a known porous stretch along the Assam-Nagaland border.
With the inter-state border dispute still unresolved, Patton assured residents that any eviction operations under the Disputed Area Belt (DAB) zone will be jointly coordinated by the governments of Assam and Nagaland.
“We are committed to maintaining law and order while upholding the dignity and rights of every citizen. Our government will continue to engage with all stakeholders to ensure peace and security in the region,” he said.
Patton, who also holds the Home portfolio, later chaired a coordination meeting with the district administration and locals in Niuland. “Niuland, being a porous border area, demands our full attention,” Patton said, praising the round-the-clock vigilance of the District Administration, village councils, student unions, and volunteers.
Calls for Stronger Safeguards
The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has urged the state government to plug existing loopholes in the enforcement of the Inner Line Permit (ILP), a colonial-era regulation under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873 meant to protect indigenous people of Nagaland.
In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Secretary, the NSF demanded the immediate introduction of a statewide Landlord-Tenant Registration System. Under this system, landlords would be legally bound to verify the ILP status of non-local tenants and register them with local police or municipal authorities—a step aimed at curbing informal rentals that often go unchecked.
“The ILP is a time-tested protective mechanism for the indigenous people of Nagaland. However, despite the introduction of online ILP portals and QR-code-based verification, there remain serious enforcement gaps—particularly in urban and peri-urban areas—due to the unmonitored settlement of ILP-holders or ILP-defaulters in private and informal rental accommodations. This undermines the very intent of the ILP regime,” the NSF said on Thursday.
The proposed registration system would require landlords to verify and report non-local tenants’ ILP status before letting property. It aims to provide law enforcement with an up-to-date database of non-local residents, detect overstays or immigrants—especially amid Assam’s ongoing eviction drives—and close existing loopholes that allow undocumented individuals to settle undetected in informal rentals.
The NSF cited Mizoram’s digitised ILP and sponsor tracking system, Assam’s tenant registration initiatives in certain districts, and similar police registration protocols in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Delhi as useful precedents.
Student bodies across Nagaland have also stepped up their vigilance to prevent an influx of displaced persons. The Konyak Students’ Union (KSU) has deployed over 100 volunteers daily at key entry points in Mon district to screen non-locals for valid ILPs and deport those lacking proper documentation.
The Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU) and Zeliang Students’ Union Nagaland (ZLSU) have issued similar warnings, stressing that Nagaland’s long, porous border with Assam makes it vulnerable to infiltration. They have called on state agencies to heighten security in sensitive districts like Peren to safeguard indigenous identities and demographic balance.
The ZLSU voiced deep concern that thousands of displaced persons may attempt to cross into Nagaland, especially through the forested, vulnerable borders of Peren district.
Likewise, the Ao Kaketshir Mungdang (AKM), which has been campaigning against immigration in Mokokchung since 2007, reiterated its commitment to protecting the district’s indigenous population amid Assam’s eviction drive.
The student body of the Ao Nagas warned the state government not to be caught off guard. It urged district officials to seal borders with Assam and take full accountability for any breach. It also called upon citizens to remain vigilant, warning that unchecked immigration threatens the identity, land, culture, and survival of indigenous communities. AKM has instructed all its units to intensify the ‘Survival Mokokchung’ campaign to counter the ongoing risk.
A Regional Pattern
As Assam’s evictions continue, similar concerns are surfacing in neighbouring states. In Tripura, where decades of cross-border migration have significantly altered the demographic balance, Chief Minister Manik Saha has announced a special task force to identify undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants who arrived after December 2014.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has ordered heightened vigilance along the state’s border with Assam. Following a high-level meeting with officials, Sangma said district administrations are coordinating with Village Defence Parties, traditional heads, and NGOs to prevent infiltration.
The looming question across the Northeast is whether the measures currently in place will be sufficient to manage the socio-political ripple effects of Assam’s crackdown. For residents of states like Nagaland, where indigenous communities are acutely sensitive to demographic change, the challenge goes beyond border security—it touches on identity, land rights, and cultural survival.
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