HITO urges HM Amit Shah to secure India-Bangladesh border

A prominent pressure group in Meghalaya has written to the Union Home minister Amit Shah, expressing concern on the “establishment of a strategic base by Pakistan’s ISI in Bangladesh”, which poses a serious national security threat.
In its letter to Shah on Friday, the Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO) demanded the immediate extension of the British-era regulation – the Inner Line Permit (ILP) – to prevent illegal Bangladeshi immigrants from entering Meghalaya.
Meghalaya shares a 443-km border with Bangladesh, of which 49.216 km is unfenced and has terrain difficult to patrol.
“The recent conflict and subsequent ceasefire between India and Pakistan along the western front has once again highlighted the need for heightened internal security across all sensitive border regions, including those in the North East,” HITO President Donbok Dkhar stated in the letter.
“More concerning is the credible intelligence emerging regarding increased infiltration along the India-Bangladesh border, including Meghalaya, and the establishment of a strategic base by Pakistan’s ISI in Bangladesh, which poses a serious national security threat,” he informed the Union Home Minister.
In this context, HITO said, “the growing number of illegal infiltrations into Meghalaya—allegedly facilitated through monetary inducements—raises pressing concerns.”
“These activities are not only a violation of India’s sovereignty but also a potential gateway for sleeper cells or terror activities that could destabilise the peace and social fabric of the region,” HITO President warned.
HITO claimed that thousands of fake Aadhaar and EPIC cards have reportedly been used by infiltrators to illegally access welfare schemes and blend into local populations in Meghalaya.
Citing the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case in Sohra, involving individuals from Madhya Pradesh, HITO President argued that such incidents could have been averted had a robust permit system been in place.
Pressing for the immediate and full extension of the ILP system in the entire state of Meghalaya, Dkhar said, “the ILP, as operational in other Northeastern states, has proven to be a vital constitutional safeguard under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act of 1873 to protect indigenous populations and maintain demographic and cultural balance.”
The HITO said that it firmly believed that the extension of ILP in Meghalaya will enhance border security by regulating unchecked entry, safeguard indigenous communities and maintain demographic stability, and reinforce national efforts against cross-border terrorism and infiltration.
“The need for implementing ILP in Meghalaya is no longer a matter of cultural protection alone but is now a strategic necessity in the interest of national security,” HITO underscores, while appealing to the Union Home Minister
to consider and expedite the extension of the ILP regime to Meghalaya, in consultation with the State government and local institutions.
ILP is an official travel document issued by the Indian government to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected/restricted area for a limited period.
It is obligatory for Indian citizens from outside Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur to obtain permit for entering the restricted areas.