Illegal migration and cross-border activities are major problems along the India-Bangladesh border, which is characterized by a “high degree of porosity”, the Union Home Ministry said in a report. The total length of the India-Bangladesh border is 4,096.7 km, of which 3,145 km is covered by physical fencing and the remaining part is planned to be covered by physical and non-physical barriers.
“The India-Bangladesh border has a high degree of porosity and checking illegal cross-border activities and illegal migration from Bangladesh to India has been a major challenge,” said the Union Home Ministry’s annual report for 2021-22. On 26 July 2022, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said that 2,399 Bangladeshi nationals had been traced using fraudulently obtained Indian documents in the past five years.
He said the Center has asked the state governments to take quick steps to identify illegal Bangladeshi migrants residing in India. Rai said states have also been advised to share details of these illegal migrants who have obtained Aadhaar cards illegally for appropriate legal action. Former Union Secretary of State for Home Kiren Rijiju informed Parliament on 16 November 2016 that according to available information, “around 20 million illegal Bangladeshi migrants are staying in India”.
According to the Home Ministry’s annual report, to curb infiltration, smuggling and other anti-national activities across the India-Bangladesh border, the government has built a fence along it. “To prevent illegal migration and illegal activities, including anti-national activities across the border, the Government of India has inaugurated the construction of border fencing with floodlights in two phases,” it said, adding that all ongoing work is to be completed by March 2024.
The non-physical barrier will include technological solutions, while the sanction of replacing the old design fence with a new design fence has also been given. In some sections of this border, there have been problems with the construction of fencing due to riverine and low-lying areas, dwellings within 150 yards of the border, ongoing land acquisition cases, and protests by border residents that have delayed the completion of the construction. project, the report said.
The border roads were built for better communication and operational mobility in the border areas, it said. So far, 3,750.87 km of border roads have been built out of the approved length of 4,223.04 km. The ongoing work is to be completed by March 2024. The government has decided to install floodlights in West Bengal, Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram and Tripura along the Indo-Bangladesh border. Of the 3,077.549 km of approved border searchlights, 2,681.99 km of work has been completed. The rest is due to be completed by March 2023.
During the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the then BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said that Bangladeshis residing illegally in India would be deported if he came to power.”They were welcomed on the red carpet by politicians just for votes. You can write it. After May 16, these Bangladeshis should be ready with their bags packed,” Modi said at an election rally in Serampore, West Bengal, which shares a porous border with Bangladesh. Assam and West Bengal are considered worst affected due to alleged illegal infiltration from Bangladesh.
