Rohingya Infiltration Across Bangladesh Border Raises Security Concerns

The infiltration of Rohingya people from Bangladesh into India has become a serious issue, with 29 Bangladesh nationals arrested in Tripura recently. MEA Joint Secretary, Ankan Banerjee, highlighted the security threat posed by the presence of Rohingyas in various Indian states. He stressed the complexity of resolving the issue due to the need for nationality identification by Bangladesh.

Infiltration by the Rohingya community from Bangladesh has become a critical issue, according to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official on Monday.

Since Saturday, 29 Bangladesh nationals without valid travel documents were apprehended in Tripura.

“Rohingya infiltration is a severe issue. Their presence has been detected in Hyderabad, Haryana, and Kashmir, posing a significant security threat,” stated MEA Joint Secretary Ankan Banerjee.

“This issue is being discussed at the highest levels. We aim to repatriate illegal immigrants, but the MEA requires the host country to confirm their nationality first,” he explained.

Banerjee noted that juvenile infiltrators are often held in detention due to a lack of proper information and reluctance from the host country to take them back. “The MEA acts as an intermediary and cannot issue clearance without nationality identification,” he added.

Efforts to improve connectivity between the northeast and Kolkata through Bangladesh are ongoing, Banerjee pointed out. “While we enjoy a favorable government in Dhaka, protests in Bangladesh add to the complexity of the issue,” he mentioned, acknowledging recent violence that led to the deaths of 150 people during student unrest in Bangladesh.

Banerjee spoke during the ‘Videsh Sampark Programme’ in Tripura, attended by state officials.