Nagaland Turns Back 200 Vehicles Carrying Illegal Migrants From Assam Border

The Niuland district administration along with the Nagaland Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) intercepted and turned back over 200 vehicles carrying evicted illegal immigrants from Assam at various checkpoints across the district, sources have told NDTV.

This comes at a time when the Nagaland government issued an advisory to the police to check evicted illegal migrants from Assam trying to enter the state.

District-level intelligence teams were deployed at the check gates to assist in identifying and processing the occupants, sources said.

In the last two days, over 200 vehicles that were attempting to transport individuals evicted during the Assam government's drive have been turned back after checking their credentials and it was found that they were evicted in the recent anti-encroachment drive in different parts of Assam.

Three states in the northeast have issued an alert cautioning against the entry of illegal migrants from Assam, where the Himanta Biswa Sarma government has been carrying out massive eviction drives.

The advisory issued by neighbouring Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland said all officers concerned should report any movement of suspected illegal migrants immediately. They have to collect the suspects' biometric and biographic data, too.

The three states are concerned that the encroachers and illegal migrants evicted from Assam government lands may enter their states.

Yesterday, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma chaired a high-level review meeting to assess the state's preparedness and strengthen border vigilance due to the ongoing eviction drive in Assam against illegal immigrants.

The meeting aimed to prevent a spillover of illegal migrants from Assam entering neighbouring Meghalaya. It also reviewed the potential fallout of Assam's eviction drive and its impact on Meghalaya's border areas.

Manipur Police today gave revised instructions outlining the procedure for detection, restriction of movement, and deportation of illegal immigrants.

In addition, a comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) for verification and detection of illegal immigrants, including Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals, has been provided to ensure uniform and coordinated action at the district level.

To strengthen enforcement, special task forces (STFs) have been formed to detect, identify, and take appropriate legal action against illegal immigrants residing in Manipur, police sources added.