Assam on high alert after fresh Bangladesh unrest, says CM Himanta
Assam on high alert as unrest erupts in Bangladesh, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma warns of security threats and calls for vigilance along the border
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday (December 22) that the state was on high alert in view of the fresh unrest in Bangladesh.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Guwahati, the Chief Minister further stated that the state government was closely monitoring the developments in Bangladesh.
''We have seen that in Bangladesh, Hindus are being subjected to atrocities and burnt alive... those who are currently in power in Bangladesh have been talking about including northeast India in their country,'' the Chief Minister said.
‘We have to be vigilant’
It is also well known that people from Bangladesh entered Assam at different times, and the state is “full of these people", he asserted.
''We have to be vigilant and must keep a sharp eye on the developments in that country,'' Sarma said. His comments come on a day when another student leader in Bangladesh, Muhammad Motaleb Sikder of the National Citizen Party (NCP), Muhammad Motaleb Sikder was shot in the head in broad daylight.
Also Read: Bangladesh unrest: Student leader shot in Khulna ahead of elections
Prohibitory orders are in force along the India-Bangladesh border in Assam's Cachar district to prevent illegal movement and potential law and order threats, officials said.
Earlier, the murder of prominent student leader and of Inqilab Manch spokesperson Usman Hadi sparked widespread violence, arson and attacks on media houses in the neighbouring country. Recently, a Hindu man was lynched in Bangladesh over alleged derogatory remarks against Islam.
Yunus orders swift arrest of Hadi’s murderer
Meanwhile, Chief Adviser to the Interim Government of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus ordered the law and enforcement officials to quickly arrest those involved in the murder of Hadi and to keep the law and order situation in the country under control ahead of the upcoming general elections.
Also Read: Bangladesh unrest affecting Bengal, says Bhagwat; urges Centre to intervene
“Ahead of the upcoming national election, the law and order situation must be kept normal at any cost,” he said as quoted in local media reports. During the meeting, police informed Yunus that 31 persons have been identified as suspects in recent attacks on media outlets.
Earlier, police said that they have yet to trace the whereabouts of Faisal, the prime suspect in the killing of Hadi. Speaking to reporters, Ministry of Home Affairs, Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khandaker Rafiqul Islam said law enforcement agencies were actively trying to locate the suspect.
(With agency inputs)