MHA: 60% of international borders in NE porous

GUWAHATI, Nov 10
Over 60% of India’s international borders in the North East with China, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan is porous, which along with internal socio-economic and historical factors has caused a “fragile security situation” in the region, the MHA says in its 2020-21 report.
The fragile security situation has “resulted in violence, extortion and diverse demands by various Indian insurgent groups, which maintain safe havens/camps in neighbouring countries”, it says.
“The Indo-Bangladesh border is marked by a high degree of porosity and the checking of illegal cross-border activities and illegal migration from Bangladesh to India have been major challenges,” it says. Of this 1,800km-long border shared by Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, over 390 km is still unfenced.
The entire India-Bhutan border of 699 km is unfenced, of which 516 km passes through Assam and Arunachal and the rest through West Bengal and Sikkim. “The main challenges are to check misuse of porous border by terrorists and criminals,” the report says.
The Centre has deployed over 400 companies of Central armed police forces for border guarding duties along the international borders, while another 400 companies are deployed for internal security and counter insurgency operations in the region.
As a result, the Ministry pointed out, there has been significant improvement in the security situation, leading to withdrawal of AFSPA from 23 districts and partially from one other district of Assam, 15 police station areas in six districts of Manipur and 15 police station areas in seven districts of Nagaland with effect from April 1, 2022.
TNN