Northeast Desk, 30th July: Infiltration from across the Bangladesh border, particularly by members of the Rohingya community, has become a “very serious” issue, according to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official.
MEA Joint Secretary Ankan Banerjee highlighted the growing concern on Monday, noting that 29 Bangladesh nationals without valid travel documents had been arrested in two locations in Tripura since Saturday.
“Infiltration, especially Rohingya infiltration, has become a very serious issue. The presence of Rohingyas has been found in Hyderabad, Haryana, and Kashmir. This is a threat to security,” Banerjee told the media.
Banerjee explained that the issue is being addressed at the highest levels of government. “We want to push the illegal immigrants back, but the MEA can’t give clearance until the host country establishes their identification of nationality,” he said.
Addressing the situation of juvenile infiltrators held in detention centers or jails due to lack of clearance from the MEA, Banerjee clarified that many infiltrators provide false information, complicating the process. “The MEA is just an intervening agency which can’t issue clearance unless nationality identification is cleared by the country concerned,” he added.
Banerjee also discussed efforts to enhance connectivity between the northeast and Kolkata through Bangladesh. “It is happening… We can’t force anyone. We have had a very favorable government in Dhaka since 2009. This (connectivity) is a political issue. There was a massive protest in Bangladesh recently. I am sure all the pending issues will be addressed amicably by the highest leadership of both countries,” he said.
Recent violence in Bangladesh, sparked by protests against job quotas, saw the government call in the army to restore order. On Monday, the Bangladeshi government officially acknowledged that 150 people had been killed during the students’ unrest.
Banerjee made these remarks during the ‘Videsh Sampark Programme’ in Tripura, an event organized by the MEA to foster collaboration between the Centre and the states for mutual benefits. The programme was also attended by Tripura Home Secretary PK Chakravarty and DGP (Intelligence) Anrag Dhankar.
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