The Bangladeshi people who had sneaked into India and attempted to rob and abduct a villager in Meghalaya’s South West Khasi Hills earlier this month took advantage of unfenced stretches of the international border, officials said on Thursday. Meghalaya and Bangladesh share a 444 km-long border, around 20 per cent of which is unfenced due to various reasons.
After the intrusion by Bangladeshis on August 8, the state government sent a three-member panel to the affected area. It comprises Vice Chairman of the Border Area Development Committee Kitborlang Nongrem, former MLA Himalaya M Shangpliang and Mendipathar legislator Marthon J Sangma.
During the inspection, villagers complained that Bangladeshi groups had been exploiting hidden tracks and porous stretches of the border to carry out illegal activities. “Though BSF outposts exist, certain stretches of the border remain unguarded due to hilly terrain and lack of fencing, which the intruders have exploited,” Sangma said after the visit.