Five Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended and subsequently pushed back across the border by security forces on Tuesday in Assam’s South Salmara district for illegally crossing into Indian territory.
Taking to the social media platform X, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma praised the swift action by the South Salmara Police and the Border Security Force (BSF).
“With an uncompromising stand on illegal infiltration, @SSalmaraPolice and @BSF_India apprehended 5 Bangladeshi nationals attempting unlawful entry and pushed them back across the border,” the Chief Minister posted.
Reiterating Assam’s commitment to border security, Sarma emphasised that the state police maintain round-the-clock vigilance to prevent unauthorised entry through the international border. He noted that infiltration attempts have seen a surge in recent months due to economic turmoil in Bangladesh.
“We have put security forces on high alert along the international border following the unrest in Bangladesh. Our police personnel have been detecting a significant number of illegal immigrants daily. However, it is notable that no Hindu infiltrator from Bangladesh has been arrested in the last five months,” Sarma said.
The Chief Minister linked the rise in cross-border infiltration to the collapse of Bangladesh’s textile industry, which has triggered mass unemployment, pushing desperate individuals to seek work opportunities in India.
“So far, we have arrested around 1,000 Bangladeshi nationals in recent months. All of them were immediately pushed back,” he added.
The Assam government has maintained that national security and demographic stability remain top priorities, and has urged continuous vigilance and cooperation among security agencies along the sensitive Indo-Bangladesh border.
This surge in enforcement comes amid escalating unrest in Bangladesh, which has prompted increased vigilance along the 263-kilometre-long Indo-Bangladesh border shared by Assam.
Notably, in December 2024, six Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended and subsequently pushed back across the border.