Cattle smuggling is rampant through the porous border areas of Dhubri district and it does not matter to the cattle smugglers whether there is barbed wire fencing or not, or if there are BSF jawans patrolling the border areas. A BSF official who prefers to remain anonymous said that if this is the case in the areas where barbed wire fencing divides the territory of two nations and acts as a barrier in cross border movement then imagine what could be situation in the 42 kms stretches along the Indo-Bangla border in Dhubri district which are wide open and yet to be fenced.  Jawans of the Border Security Forces manning the 134 kms Indo-Bangla international border are frequently being attacked by the local anti-nationals. Several border out posts including those at Moslabari, Mantrir Char, Bhogdohar, Mahamaya char have been identified as very sensitive in the anti-national activities and trans-border smuggling points of view. Hundreds of Bangladeshis often gather at night on the other side of the border with public announcement systems and hurl abuse at BSF personnel for hours together and attempt to instigate clashes, BSF sources informed.

Dhubri district unit of All Assam Students Union (Aasu) General Secretary, Dibakar Barman reacting to the attacks on the BSF jawans said that the situation has gone from bad to worse and within a few years, if the government does not take notice of the deteriorating situation in the border areas it might get out of hand. Barman said that the Central Government should think about what they are doing with this sensitive border where BSF jawans are frequently attacked not by terrorists but by mere cattle smugglers. “What will the BSF do when terrorists attack them?  The Government of India is playing with the sentiments of the people and has made the Indo-Bangla border a mockery as it could neither stop the influx from Bangladesh nor could it stop trans-border smuggling. Now the entire border along Assam is clandestinely being used by anti-national elements and despite knowing all this, they are silent spectators,” Barman rued. However, it is surprising to note that only two battalions of BSF are manning the entire 135 kms Indo-Bangla border under Dhubri district which means that there are only four BSF jawans are for every one kilometer on guard at the border.

In view of the deteriorating situation in the Indo-Bangla border in Dhubri district, Assam Home Commissioner and Secretary, Rajeev Bora has recently visited the Indo-Bangla border areas of Dhubri district and inspected the entire border area. Bora, accompanied by a host of state as well as district level officials inspected the length and breadth of the 135.5 kilometer Indo-Bangla border from Sadar Tila post under Mancachar to Satrasal border of Dhubri sector and took stock of the situation prevailing in the area. Besides inspecting entire aspects of border from barbed wire fencing works to development of border villages, Bora also held several meetings with police, BSF high officials, block development officials and National Border Construction Corporation (NBCC) to know the present status of the on going works. An official source said that Bora and other senior officials were shown video clippings of cattle smuggling to Bangladesh through the porous border of Dhubri district in spite of the presence of BSF jawans along the border.  Bora also met the border villagers and discussed their problems in various places including Sishumara, Satrasal and Boraibari and inspected the 9.3 kms border fencing works at Mosalabari being done by NBCC.

When asked about his impression from the visit to the Dhubri district, Bora said, “Much of the work in the border areas including the border fencing at Moslabari Char is progressing and will be completed soon. As far as development of border villages is concerned, I have instructed the officials to follow the guideline of the Central Government while implementing the projects.” 

Former AASU international border co-ordinator, Enamul Hoque who met Home Commissioner and Secretary, Rajeev Bora and appraised him about the border situation said that he had brought the issues of river patrolling and how cattle smuggling, trans-border illegal trade and movement of insurgent groups across the border coupled with unabated infiltration have jeopardized national security to the notice of the Home Commissioner. “I have appraised him (Bora) about the ground situation and forwarded some positive suggestions to stop the infiltration across the border as well as check the trans-border smuggling,” Hoque informed.

A social activist, Md. Abdul Naser Alfaruque who has launched a tirade against the cattle smuggling as well as other trans-border smuggling said that he had already written to former President, APJ Abdul Kalam, Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram, Chief of the Army Staff, Deepak Kapoor and Director General of BSF, Mahendra Kumawat and appraised all of them about the grave situation prevailing in the border areas. Alfaruque informed that the volume of cattle trade was a whopping twenty thousand crore rupees since 2003 to 2009 (till April) which is one of the biggest underworld trades in the eastern part of the country controlled by cattle mafia.  “Our concern, however, is not just limited to cattle smuggling. The porous border through which rampant trafficking of arms is allegedly transacted and the movement of the militant outfits of the North East region which is reported frequently are also the areas of concern,” Alfaruque further said.

Bijoy  Sharma