People walk past a vandalised car in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP
Following unrest in neighboring country Bangladesh, an alert has also been sounded in border districts of Bihar and areas close to Bangladesh. Independent MP from Purnia, Lok Sabha constituency in northeastern Bihar, said that India should show large heart to showcase its diplomatic and strategic power in south Asia like late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had showed to the world in 1971.
The densely populated seemanchal (border) districts of northeastern Bihar are said to be vulnerable to influx of illegal immigrants. Kishanganj district of Bihar is said to have maximum number of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Purnia, Katihar and Araria of northeastern Bihar too are said to be populated with immigrants from the neighboring country.
“Following the political unrest there [Bangladesh] we’ve alerted police personnel in border districts of Bihar to be extra vigilant maintaining coordination with paramilitary forces manning the border about possible influx of immigrants”, said a senior police official of the state, J S Gangwar.
“The long, porous border with another neighboring country Nepal has also been used by immigrants from other countries to sneak into Indian territory”, he added. “But, we’ve alerted our personnel in border districts”, he asserted. The densely populated Seemanchal [border] districts of northeastern Bihar are said to be vulnerable to influx of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh through West Bengal and Nepal.
Meanwhile, Independent MP from Purnia which is a Lok Sabha constituency of northeastern Bihar, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav said that Indian government should display not only political but diplomatic and strategic capacities too showcasing large heart like “late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had shown to the world in 1971”. “The situation in Bangladesh are not good and in such a situation memory of late PM Indira Gandhi comes to mind. We [India] should be careful and intervene with temerity”, Mr Yadav said in his post on social media on Tuesday.
Ruling Bihar party Janata Dal (United) legislator and Minister for Water Resources and Parliamentary Affairs in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government Vijay Chaudhary too said Bihar government was on “alert mode” after unrest and political development in Bangladesh. “Chief minister Nitish Kumar has issued directives to administration and police to be on alert. We should be careful in border districts of Bihar”, he said while speaking to media persons in Patna. When asked about the possibility of a large number of refugees from Bangladesh entering into India, Mr. Chaudhary said, “those who want to take advantage of CAA [Citizenship Amendment Act] provisions, they can take it in accordance with the provisions of law”.
