Home Ministry reviews security measures in NE states

Aizawl, Aug 8 (UNI) The Union Home Ministry has instructed Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya to tighten security at vital installations.

The direction came following intelligence reports of anti-Indian activities along these areas, official sources here said.

The Home Ministry has ordered these four NE states to spread their security net to all sensitive places including airports and civil secretariats during a security review meeting held at New Delhi.

Official sources here today said the meeting was attended by the respective state chief secretaries, Director Generals of Police (DGP) and representatives of BSF and CRPF.

Besides this, Border Security Force (BSF) has also been put on maximum alert following sudden rise in cross border crimes in Mizoram and Cachar border and overnight skirmishes along the Indo-Bangla border.

As part of precautionary measure BSF has detained about 14 people, including six suspected ISI agents, in the past one week .

Principal Staff Officer, BSF TC&M Frontier Mr P J Sebastian told UNI that BSF has already steeped up vigil along the Indo-Bangla border to foil any intrusion bid from across the border.

The step to beef up security was taken in response to Bangladesh strengthening its border defences after Dhaka accused New Delhi of killing civilians last week even as the two governments were trying to resolve the border dispute.

Bangladesh Rifles claimed that most of the victims were innocent farmers working in their rice fields or tending cattle inside their territory along the frontier.

However, the BSF alleged that the neighbouring country was also digging trenches and bunkers at strategic points along the border and encouraging its nationals to cultivate on Indian territory in Cachar border.

Mr Sebastian stated that the BDR has reportedly demonstrated their aggressive posture in a few locations of Cachar and Karimganj districts after the frontier guards of the two countries clashed on June 28 last over a strip of land along the Surma River.

Meanwhile, BSF has detained 14 people from Tripura and Cachar border during the past week while the contraband goods of Rs five lakh, including 15 turtles, from Tripura border have been seized on Monday.

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