Will defend our land and kick illegal Bangladeshis out, says TIPRA Motha's Pradyot Kishore

Indian Express

27-04-2025

As the crackdown on illegal immigration from Bangladesh continues in Tripura, with police making yet another arrest, Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, founder of the ruling TIPRA Motha, has said that 'our boys' can identify and push back infiltrators 'if given support'.
'Illegal Bangladeshi are entering every day! For every 5 people apprehended 1,000 get away because of the terrain and porous border. Tripura is going through demographic change once again! Both Assam and Tripura and parts of Meghalaya have become transit points for illegal migration to the Northeast and the rest of India. The indigenous tribes that are asking for land rights here are doing so because we know sooner than later we will be overrun by illegal migration. Can we expect justice and attention from the rest of India. Our boys know the area and if given the support will defend our land and kick out illegal Bangladeshis from entering our country,' he wrote on social media on Sunday.
The police identified the arrested accused as Nirmal Biswas, a resident of Malda in Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh.
'A Bangladeshi was arrested from Kaiyadhepa village in a joint initiative of the BSF and police while he was crossing the India-Bangladesh border. A case was lodged against him and he was forwarded to court on Saturday,' a police officer said. 'We are investigating to find out details of the reasons for his coming here.'
In the past week, five Bangladeshi citizens were arrested in two incidents at the Agartala railway station. They were planning to travel to other states in the country, according to officials who interrogated them.
A series of infiltration attempts by Bangladeshi and Rohingya people have been thwarted and several foreigners arrested recently, especially since the Sheikh Hasina -led Awami League government fell in the neighbouring country amid protests in August 2024.
In the first week of March, BSF troops thwarted several smuggling attempts and seized a huge quantity of narcotics, cattle, rice, and other contraband worth Rs 2.88 crore.