Meghalaya govt tightens security along India-Bangladesh border

Following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, the government of India's northeastern state of Meghalaya has ordered heightened vigil along the 443-km-long international border with Bangladesh. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma is currently in New Delhi. From there, he is closely monitoring the security situation in the state and has urged local administrators to further enhance coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF).

Meghalaya Director General of Police I. Nongrang has been directed to maintain close coordination with the BSF and other security forces to ensure border security. About 20 percent of Meghalaya's border with Bangladesh is still unfenced due to the difficult terrain, including rivers and other water bodies.

The Meghalaya BSF said in a statement that 78 Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested so far this year for crossing the border without valid travel documents. Six brokers who facilitated their illegal entry into India have also been arrested.

On Thursday, a BSF official said that Indian troops have foiled numerous infiltration attempts and arrested a total of 115 people involved in illegal cross-border activities this year - including 78 Bangladeshi nationals and 37 Indian nationals. The Meghalaya border BSF has seized 750 illegal goods and cattle worth about Rs 11.70 crore. It is worth noting that the militants fled the scene after brutally killing 26 civilians on Tuesday. The police have launched a search operation across Kashmir in search of them. However, there has been no news of any death or arrest of any militant involved in the Pahalgam massacre so far.