Shillong, July 30 : Hundreds of alleged “infiltrators”, who were on their way to the coal-mining belt of Meghalaya’s Jaintia Hills district and Silchar in Assam, were detected last evening by Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) activists near the city.
This incident has raised questions about
the fate and implementation of the much talked about anti-infiltration
directorate, which was promised last year by the Meghalaya government.
Last evening, KSU activists first detected
a night super bus carrying Nepali citizens, including women and
children, near the municipal waste dumping yard at Marten on the
Guwahati-Shillong Road. According to the activists, the people inside
the bus (WB-73-C-2444), around 80 of them, did not have proper documents
to ascertain their claims that they were Indian nationals.
The bus driver’s version was that the
passengers were supposed to dismount near Anjalee cinema hall here,
creating suspicion in the minds of the KSU activists as night super
buses usually disembark passengers at the Polo parking lot.
When some activists enquired about the
passengers, they were told that their destination was Lad Rymbai, a coal
mining area in Jaintia Hills.
Soon after, on the same route, the
activists detected another bus, which was on its way to Silchar in
Assam, and similar events unfolded.
The activists told the passengers in both the buses to return to Guwahati with a warning never to come back again.
KSU Mawlai circle publicity secretary
Artis Ryntathiang said the union started upping its vigil on night super
buses coming to the city in the aftermath of the BTAD clashes
suspecting that immigrants who were affected by the violence have
started trickling in to Meghalaya.
For years now, the KSU and other pressure
groups have been conducting such inspections to stop alleged
infiltrators, travelling without proper documents, to enter the state.
Last year, after several pressure groups
agitated to press for strong measures to tackle influx, the state
government had promised to come up with an anti-infiltration
directorate. The mandate of the directorate, which would be under the
home department, was to put a check on influx both at the international
and inter-state borders.
Chief minister Mukul Sangma had stated
that the directorate, which will replace the existing infiltration
branch of the police department, would be made functional soon.
At present, the major infiltration checkgates are located at Byrnihat in Ri Bhoi district and Umkiang in Jaintia Hills.
Recently, when asked about the fate of the
directorate, state home minister H.D.R. Lyngdoh said it would be made
functional “very soon”.
In 2010, the chief minister said the
government would bring a legislation to empower the community in curbing
influx, adding that necessary mechanisms would be incorporated within
the legislation to thwart abuse of power by the community members while
dealing with influx.