AGARTALA, April 10 (TIWN): Large scale illegal migration from Bangladesh over several years has been altering the demographic complexion of this State. It poses a grave threat both to the identity of the people of Tripura and to the national security. Successive Governments at the Centre and in the State have not adequately met this challenge. Day after day the illegal intrusion has taken a massive shape triggering panic in the state. Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam share an 1,880 km border with Bangladesh, while Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh share a 1,640 km unfenced border with Myanmar. Recently yet in other incident Twenty three Bangladeshi nationals, including nine women and three children have been arrested in Tripura for illegally entering the Indian Territory. Acting on a tip-off, the police arrested 23 Bangladeshi nationals at Gandachara in northern Tripura. Later, a local court sent 20 of them to judicial custody and three children to a juvenile home.Although India is erecting a fence and putting up flood lighting along the 4,096-km India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram but is unable to check trans-border movement of militants and check border crimes.

They came from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts to take remedial advice from a tribal traditional practitioner in Tripura.

A police official said the detainees told the police that 43 Bangladeshi nationals, including the 23 arrested, had entered Tripura to meet the tribal doctor.

Police are looking for the remaining trespassers.

Tripura shares an 856-km border with Bangladesh and most parts of the frontier are fenced.

It is to be mentioned here the 856-km India-Bangladesh border with Tripura, fencing could not be completed in a little over 115 km border due to numerous reasons, including objection raised by Bangladeshi border guards.

It has not become possible to provide fencing in all side of the border. Thus the smuggling of cattle, human trafficking, fake currency, kidnapping and thefts are quite rampant along the border as there is lack of proper security arrangements in some parts of the bordering areas.

However but the locals along with the bordering areas of the state now keeps hope of a fruitful solution to the rising problem with PM Modi inked the MoU with his Bangladeshi counterpart with an aim to prevent the smuggling and circulation of fake currency notes.

Illegal intrusion of the extremist, smuggling of contraband items and cattle’s across Tripura to Bangladesh has become an everyday-issue. Despite the wire fencing across the border area Tripura has become the hub for transporting the prohibited goods.