News

Borders with Bangladesh to be sealed within 2 years, says Assam’s CM-in-waiting Sonowal

Written by : PTI

Sealing of the borders with Bangladesh will be completed in two year's time to put an end to infiltration, Assam's Chief Minister-to-be Sarbananda Sonowal said on Saturday.

A product of the student movement of the 80s during the anti-foreigners agitation, Sonowal, who steered the BJP to victory in the elections, has put the issue of infiltration and attempts to check them as his government's priority. BJP had made infiltration one of the major issues in the poll campaign.

"Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had given a two-year time frame for permanent sealing of the border. We will work towards finishing within that timeframe the border sealing work, including the riverine border," he told PTI in an interview.

He was asked how he intended to seal the Indo-Bangladesh border, an issue he spoke about soon after his party romped home in the election on Thursday.

Rajnath Singh had during his on-the-spot visit to the Indo-Bangla border in Karimganj district of southern Assam in January this year had said construction of the barbed wire fence along the Assam stretch would be completed by the end of this year.

"As soon as the border is sealed permanently, the infiltration trend will stop automatically. Plus we will create awareness among the people to prevent infiltration", he had said.

Asked what method or law he intended to apply to stop infiltration from Bangladesh as he was against the now repealed IMDT Act, Sonowal said, "When the final draft of the (ongoing) updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam is published, it will be clear who are the citizens and infiltrators will get identified.

"The problem will get solved and action will then be taken against infiltrators as per existing law.

"Like the Wagah border in Punjab with Pakistan, we will also have a similar ceremony in Assam along the Indo-Bangladesh border. We will make it into a tourist spot where people can come and watch the ceremony. This will also stop infiltration", he added.

If Prajwal Revanna isn’t punished, he will do this again: Rape survivor’s sister speaks up

The identity theft of Rohith Vemula’s Dalitness

Brij Bhushan Not Convicted So You Can't Question Ticket to His Son: Nirmala Sitharaman

TN police facial recognition portal hacked, personal data of 50k people leaked

A decade lost: How LGBTQIA+ rights fared under BJP govt and the way forward