GUWAHATI: Nearly 38.959 km of the India-Bangladesh border in Assam remains unfenced, Assam Accord Implementation Minister Atul Bora informed the Assembly on Wednesday.
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Replying to a question by AGP MLA Prakash Chandra Das during Question Hour, Bora said border fencing has been completed along 27.30 km in Cachar, 93.95 km in Sribhumi, and 107 km in Dhubri and South Salmara districts.
He said fencing work has been hindered by the Kushiyara River in Sribhumi district. "Observation posts have been constructed to secure unfenced stretches where conventional border fencing is not feasible," the minister said.
Bora also said the government has initiated "pushback" operations to curb illegal infiltration from across the border.
"Assam shares a 267-km international border with Bangladesh, comprising 98.30 km in Sribhumi, 27 km in Cachar, and 141 km in Dhubri district. Our objective is to ensure that no illegal immigrant enters the state from Bangladesh. To strengthen border security, the state government is reinforcing the second line of defence in coordination with the BSF. Fourteen Border Outposts (BOPs) have been established," he said.
Recalling the Assam Agitation, Bora said the six-year movement from 1979 to 1985 was launched to demand the detection and deportation of illegal foreign nationals.
"The people of Assam feared they would become a minority because of the influx of Bangladeshi nationals. At the time, the Congress was in power in the state. During the agitation, 760 people lost their lives, women were subjected to atrocities, and many others were injured. The movement concluded with the signing of the Assam Accord in the presence of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985," he said.
The minister said the implementation of the Assam Accord primarily rests with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
"Without the support of the MHA, the Assam government alone cannot carry out the detection and deportation of foreign nationals," he said.
Bora alleged that the now-repealed Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) (IMDT) Act had been a major hurdle in identifying and deporting illegal migrants.
"People coming from Bangladesh continued to encroach on land belonging to sattras and reserve forests. This has compelled the Chief Minister to take stringent measures to protect the interests of the indigenous people," he said.
The minister said the MHA had constituted a committee headed by retired Justice B.K. Sharma to examine the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, which submitted 67 recommendations.
He said the recommendations were discussed at the state Cabinet meeting in Lakhimpur on September 4, 2024, and were categorised into three groups—those to be implemented by the Centre, by the state, and jointly by both governments.
"Forty recommendations can be implemented by the state government alone, and, driven by the Chief Minister's political commitment, steps have already been initiated. Twelve recommendations require joint action by the Centre and the state, while 15 fall exclusively under the jurisdiction of the Central government," Bora said.
He added that the state government remains in regular contact with the Union Home Minister and is hopeful that the recommendations will be implemented.
According to Bora, the Chief Minister constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) on September 25, 2024, to prepare a roadmap for implementing the recommendations. The GoM met again on February 16, 2025, followed by a review meeting on November 22, 2025. Bora expressed hope that the provisions of the Assam Accord, particularly Clause 6, would be implemented during the tenure of the NDA-III government.