Shillong, Jul 31: The district administration of East Jaintia Hills is considering launching raids in certain villages in the district to root out illegal migrants, a pressure group said today.
The regional unit of the Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (COMSO) today met with the Deputy Commissioner of East Jaintia Hills, Shivansh Awasthi, where it submitted a petition from the COMSO Jaintia Region urging the DC’s office to take action against foreigners illegally entering the region, particularly those from Bangladesh.
Meghalaya is on alert as Assam has undertaken an eviction drive targeting suspected illegal migrants and it is feared that this could lead to many taking refuge in Meghalaya.
In a release, COMSO said that while the central government has instructed all states to establish Special Task Forces (STFs) to monitor and prevent the illegal entry of foreigners into India, Awasthi indicated that no directives have been received from the Meghalaya government regarding the formation of STFs in the district.
Nevertheless, the DC expressed his willingness to collaborate for the betterment of the district, particularly in preventing illegal entry of foreigners. He mentioned plans to convene a meeting with the Waheh Chnongs of East Jaintia Hills and government officials to explore strategies for preventing illegal entry and to organise raids in certain villages where foreigners may be hiding, in cooperation with the Waheh Chnongs.
