Govt. assured us to seal Indo-Bangla border by 2012, claims AASU Advisor

New Delhi, Apr 22 (ANI): All Assam Students' Union (AASU) Advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya on Thursday claimed the Government has assured them about sealing of 272-kilometer-long porous India-Bangladesh border area in Assam by April 2012.

On Wednesday, the Central Government, Assam State Government and the representatives of the All Assam Students' Union met here at a tripartite meeting on the implementation of Assam Accord, which was chaired by Union Home Secretary G K Pillai.

Talking about the meeting, Bhattacharya said: "We said that if the government can seal the Indo-Pakistan border within three years, why not in the case of Indo-Bangladesh border of Assam sector?"

"The government assured us that within 2012 April, the Indo-Bangla border of Assam sector will be sealed," he added.

The AASU has been demanding a specific timeframe for the completion of the process of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the sealing of the international border with Bangladesh.

Bhattacharya said the work for the pilot projects for updating NRC in Barpeta and Chaygaon revenue circles would start from June 1, adding that they had put forward a demand that DNA tests be conducted, so that no illegal Bangladesh national could get his or her name enrolled in the NRC.

"It was decided that the pilot project of Chaygaon and Barpeta would be taken up. From Within six months to one year, the work will be completed and depending on that, throughout Assam, the process of updating NRC will start. There should be some foolproof mechanism so that an illegal Bangladeshi cannot enroll his name in the NRC," said Bhattacharya.

"We have proposed that there should be DNA test, if necessary, for suspected Bangladeshis. It was accepted in the meeting that these processes would be adopted in the modalities to prepare this NRC," he added.

Another key issue, which the AASU raised, was the constitutional protection to the indigenous people of Assam under the provisions of clause 6 of the Assam Accord.

A sub-committee comprising of Central Government, Assam State Government and the representatives of the All Assam Students' Union has been formed to decide on the constitutional protection of the indigenous people of Assam under the provisions of clause 6 of the Assam Accord and economic development of Assam.

Clause 6 of the Accord seeks to define 'Assamese people' in order to extend constitutional protection to them.

The AASU had earlier impressed upon Union Home Secretary GK Pillai during his last visit to Assam to implement the Assam Accord in its letter and spirit. (ANI)