Why are Four NE States on High Alert to Prevent Intruders?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- High Alert: Four NE states are on alert due to Assam's eviction drive.
- Border Security: Enhanced measures are being taken to prevent unauthorized entries.
- Community Impact: Thousands of individuals have been displaced due to the eviction operations.
- Political Response: Local leaders are pushing for monitoring committees to safeguard community rights.
- Violent Incidents: The eviction drive has led to violent confrontations in some areas.
Guwahati/Kohima, July 26 (NationPress) Numerous state administrations in the Northeast have raised a significant alarm along the borders with Assam, fearing that individuals displaced by the eviction initiatives may try to infiltrate their territories, according to officials on Saturday.
Assam holds a total of 2616.1 km of inter-state boundaries with six northeastern states: Nagaland (512.1 Km), Arunachal Pradesh (804.1 Km), Manipur (204.1 Km), Mizoram (164.6 Km), Tripura (46.3 Km), and Meghalaya (884.9 Km), in addition to a 127 Km border with West Bengal.
This inter-state border traverses various districts on both sides. The Assam government has recently stepped up its eviction efforts in specific districts, including Dhubri, Goalpara, Lakhimpur, and Kampur (Metro), and has announced plans to extend the eviction drive into Golaghat and areas in southern Assam, targeting individuals who are allegedly encroaching on government and forest lands.
This eviction campaign has resulted in the displacement of thousands of individuals. Consequently, the governments of Nagaland, Manipur, and Meghalaya have issued urgent instructions to District Magistrates, Deputy Commissioners, and Superintendents of Police to adopt robust measures to prevent attempts by the displaced individuals to enter their states following Assam's eviction operations.
In Tripura, Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, the leader of the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), has urged the Chief Executive Member of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) to quickly establish a monitoring committee across all party lines to identify illegal immigrants who may be entering the council areas unlawfully.
“This issue demands serious attention, as many individuals being evicted from Assam could seek refuge in neighboring states. This committee should operate as a guardian of our rights, rather than as political factions,” Debbarma stated on X.
The TMP administers the politically significant TTAADC, which governs two-thirds of Tripura’s area of 10,491 sq km, housing over 1,216,000 residents, approximately 84 percent of whom belong to tribal communities.
A senior official in Kohima reported that during a review of the situation along the Nagaland-Assam border on Thursday, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio instructed Chief Secretary J. Alam and Director General of Police (DGP) Rupin Sharma to bolster 24/7 surveillance and initiate all necessary preventive measures to detect and deport any potential influx of illegal immigrants.
He emphasized the need to enhance vigilance mechanisms along the Assam-Nagaland border. Earlier this week, Nagaland’s Deputy Chief Minister for Home and Border Affairs, Y. Patton, visited vulnerable spots in the Ralan area of Wokha and Niuland districts to assess the situation following the eviction operations in Assam.
During his visit, Deputy Chief Minister Patton acknowledged the relentless efforts of the district administration, police, village chiefs, youth organizations, and volunteers in maintaining a vigilant presence along the borders.
The Deputy Commissioner of Niuland reported that more than 200 vehicles carrying evicted illegal immigrants from Assam tried to enter the district, but these attempts were effectively thwarted, with individuals being deported by the District Administration, Police, and CRPF at various checkpoints.
On July 17, an eviction operation in the Paikan Reserve Forest within Assam’s Goalpara district turned violent, resulting in one fatality and another serious injury. Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reaffirmed the administration's commitment to reclaiming encroached and forest lands in the state.