Aftab Uddin, a teacher of a venture school in Ratiadoh area under Golokganj police station of Dhubri district who went to the Lakhimari border to attend the human chain programme said that the border has been left to the border security forces and nobody knows what is happening there as after the sun sets, no one is allowed to venture on the border road. “So villagers do not know how the Bangladeshis are entering Indian territory and who are involved in trans-border smuggling including cattle. They (BSF) are the sentinels on the border but after 62 years of partition from India, infiltration continues into India through the porous border”, Uddin resentfully stated.

Speaking in a open meeting at the Indo-Bangla Trade Centre Ground, AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya lambasted the state and Central governments for their total failure in sealing the Indo-Bangla border and as a result of which, not only do the people of Bangladesh have free access to Assam but also many a fundamental militant organization has transformed this border into their haven.

Bhattacharya also said that though it is matter of national security as the border remains unprotected but despite their best efforts and the people’s support, the Centre is not taking the thing seriously and no political party has shown interest in solving this problem of unabated infiltration across the border.

“We will continue to fight till the whole Assam-Bangla border is sealed and farmers whose lands fall behind the barbed fencing are compensated,” Bhattacharya said.

Addressing the meeting, AASU president, Sankar Prosad Roy said that the human chain programme at the Lakhimari border has been organized in protest against the slow pace of barbed fencing works in the border and unabated infiltration across the border.

Roy said that it is almost 24 years since the Assam Accord was signed between the Central government and AASU but many a clausesof the Accord is yet to be implemented.

“The barbed wire fencing along the Indo-Bangla border, first erected in 1987, proved to be redundant as it could neither stop infiltration nor trans-border movement of insurgent groups through the porous areas of the border,” Roy said.

Roy also said that AASU wants the sealing of the 272 kms Indo-Bangla border in Dhubri and Karimganj sector with barbed fencing.

While expressing deep resentment over the poor quality of barbed fencing works, Roy said that AASU is raising the demand for the compensation against land which fell behind the barbed fencing.

He said that owners of the l1000 acres (approx) of land can not go to their land freely for cultivation as there is restriction imposed by the Border Security Forces. So it is better for the government to acquire the land and compensate the poor farmers who lost almost everything during the partition of the country.

Roy claimed that renewed movement against the foreigners would remind of the Assam Movement of 80’s which began with a human chain programme from Dhubri.

Roy added that a similar human chain programme will be held at the Karimganj sector soon.

Bijoy Sharma