Meghalaya has been placed on high alert with the 13th general elections underway in neighboring Bangladesh on Thursday. Authorities have activated a multi-layered security grid along the international border to pre-empt infiltration, smuggling and any potential spillover during the politically sensitive exercise. With nearly 128 million voters casting ballots across 300 constituencies in Bangladesh, security agencies in the border state are maintaining heightened vigilance, wary of any cross-border movement or criminal activity that could be triggered amid the electoral churn in the neighboring country. In East Khasi Hills district, police have intensified round-the-clock patrolling, surprise naka checks and joint operations in close coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF).
The focus remains on vulnerable and porous stretches falling under border police station jurisdictions.
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said the security apparatus had been activated well in advance. Syiem informed that the district was put on alert as early as December following a high-level review meeting with Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma. Police sources said the stepped-up vigil is not confined to checking illegal entry alone but is also aimed at dismantling smuggling networks and curbing trans-border criminal activities, which tend to witness a spike during politically volatile periods in neighboring nations.
Syiem underlined that all police stations and tactical units have been directed to priorities border domination and maintain aggressive field movement to ensure zero gaps in surveillance. In East Khasi Hills, three police stations — Mawsynram, Shella and Pynursla — are situated along the international border, making them critical nodes in the state’s security architecture. Bangladesh’s parliamentary polls assume added significance as they are the first since the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024, after massive student-led protests forced her out of office. Against this backdrop, security agencies in Meghalaya are closely monitoring developments across the border, determined to maintain law and order and prevent any destabilizing impact on the state.