Rajnath Singh asks 5 eastern states to check influx of Rohingyas

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has asked five eastern states sharing boundaries with Bangladesh to be extra vigilant against influx of Rohingyas and illegal immigrants through the porous Indo-Bangla border. At a meeting of Chief Ministers and Home Ministers of West Bengal, Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura in Kolkata yesterday, Mr Singh said, a border protection grid on the lines of Unified Command set up in insurgency-hit states will soon come up in these states to check illegal infiltration. He said, the concept of the grid has been planned as a multi-pronged and foolproof mechanism to secure the Indo-Bangla border. 

The Home Minister said, NDA government has been giving highest priority to secure India's



international border by putting in place a robust system to facilitate legitimate trade and commerce. He said, radical elements and terrorists can only be checked with joint action and active cooperation of central and state governments.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal sought a new law to check the cross border smuggling, including cattle, and effective steps to end illegal immigration. He said, the central government should set a deadline to completely seal the international border with Bangladesh. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appreciated the Centre's initiative to hold this meeting of the chief ministers and offered full cooperation to any joint action.