'Visitors' from Assam troop in, MPs fly out

Police personnel stand guard on the bank of the Gholani along the Bengal-Assam border  
on Friday. Picture by Anirban Choudhury

TT, Aug 04, 2018, Alipurduar: An Alipurduar pocket has seen a steady trickle of people, most of them women and children, from neighbouring Assam in the past two days amid fears over the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC), sources said on Friday.

Although no large group has been found crossing the border so far, the sources said over 200 people from 100-odd Assam families had come to relatives' homes in Alipurduar's Kumargram.

Bengal authorities have played down the movements as "nothing unusual", pointing out that many families have relatives in Assam.

Many women from Kumargram, around 40km from the border, are married to families in Assam. Others have relatives there who visit Bengal.

But the sudden arrival of such a large number of visitors from Kokrajhar and Dhubri in Assam stood out as many of them - as well as their hosts in Kumargram - aired apprehensions about a breach of law and order in the BJP-ruled state.

A woman from Kokrajhar's Srirampur, close to the border, was among those who arrived at her parents' home in Kumargram with her two children on Thursday.

"As the list (NRC draft) was published, my name, like that of several others, was not there. My husband felt I should stay at my father's place with the children till I submit an application for inclusion in the list. There is no problem there but we felt I would be safe here with the children if problems crop up," she said.

None of those arriving from Assam is ready to divulge the identity. Alipurduar sources said almost all were Rajbangshis.

Trinamul leaders in Kumargram said the visitors were "scared" and most were not ready to talk.

"Some have relatives and others have parents in Kumargram and adjoining areas. We have checked with the families. In some cases, the relatives or parents say their daughters or relatives from Assam are on a visit," said a leader.

Local officials said one should not read much into the arrivals. "Anybody can come to a relative's place. There is nothing unusual in it. We are, however, keeping close watch on the borders," said Alipurduar district magistrate Nikhil Nirmal.

Other than Kumargram, some other pockets that have seen such inflow of people from Assam include Kamakhyaguri, Volka, Kumargram, Najigram-Deokhata, Salbari and Barovisa, the sources said.

Border watch

Alipurduar police have tightened vigil along Kumargram's border with Assam, increasing the number of personnel and deploying a team from the Counter-Insurgency Force (CIF).

"The CIF personnel have experience in Jungle Mahal. They will be posted in forest tracts and riverine territories along the border," said a source.

Jungle Mahal, a former Maoist stronghold, is spread across the West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts.

Apart from the CIF team, police personnel have been stationed at six new locations of Kumargram.

The increased deployment follows the arrest of Gangaram Rava, a militant of the Rava National Liberation Force in the Northeast who had sneaked into Bengal using remote routes after the publication of the NRC draft.

"It is not clear whether his name is there in the NRC list but his arrest has reinforced our apprehension that anti-socials might sneak into Bengal at this time as security has been stepped up across Assam," said an intelligence officer.