AGARTALA, July 27 (TIWN): Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said in Guwahati that threat of fundamentalists to northeast India is very high. "Vulnerability of threat is very high as around 98 percent of northeast region is associated with the international borders," Rijiju told reporters in Guwahati. North Tripura Superintendent of Police (SP) Maniklal Das talking to TIWN on Tuesday stressed upon Terrorist issues, illegal-trafficking of Bangaldeshi elements’ via North Tripura. SP said, “Bangladeshi intrusion is yet less in North Tripura, although few months back one suspected Bangldeshi Jihadi was nabbed by police, but right now there is no information of Bangldeshi Muslim extremists presence inside Tripura”. “However, North Tripura is suffering from various other issues related to smuggling, cross-border trafficking”, he said. Comparing with Islamic Jihadi presence at Sonamura, SP said, “Everyone is aware how Sonamura town is opened for Bangladeshis, but in North Tripura it’s only the Kanchanpur area is sensitive as a large part is left without fencing there.” "The MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) has requested all the eight northeastern states to remain maximum alert to tackle any threat of jihadi actions in northeast India, specially in Assam," the top official of Tripura government's home department said quoting an advisory of the union home ministry.

“But climbing hills at North Tripura, usually Bangladeshi Muslims do not enter, however NLFT and other similar extremists who are expert with hills enter Tripura via North-Tripura”.

“We have intelligent sources, and whenever we get informed via source, are ready to fight with such situations”, he said.

But although Maniklal Das denied Bangladeshis presence in North Tripura but TIWN sources said that Bangladeshi fundamentalists are residing over North Tripura and also are involved in various illegal activities.  In North Tripura there are so many Bangladeshi fundamentalist who have high links with international-terrorist groups. Their numbers are increasing day by day, as state Tripura has become their safe zone.

 Sources said that there are atleast 150 Bangladeshis residing over North Tripura. In Dharmanagar Botarshi area, in Dotubal area ateast 20-25 fundamentalists are allegedly living.

 Source informed 3 names who are leading that group in Botarshi. They are : 1) Kajaudding, 2) Selimuddin, 3)Soweluddin Three of them are living with Indian Passport and doing fishing cultivation. Whereas Bangladesh is known for fishing cultivation, these people are living in such a hilly state saying they are doing fishing job in Tripura, which is just for name-sake.

 Taking the opportunity of police dept.’s negligence, Bangladeshi who are trying to sneak into India are rapidly increasing in number.

 In September 25, 2015, one Bangladeshi was arrested in North Tripura when Abhijit Saptarshi was the SP there, and accordingly he was sent to jail under the Indian Passports Act. The arrested man was identified as Sabuj Ahmed (25), son of Ruab Ali, a resident of Bhawanipur village in Moulavi Bazar district under Juri police station in Bangladesh, police said. Ahmed was detained by the BSF at the border village of Yakubnagar in Dharmanagar in North Tripura. He was suspected to have links with a Bangladeshi fundamentalist group.

 Sabuj Ahmed (in 2015) was suspected to have links with a terror group, an associate of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba active in India and Bangladesh.

 Terrorist like him are regularly travelling between the two countries for the last two years without valid documents. But surprisingly, Renu Miah, a resident of Sakaibari in Dharmanagar who gave Sabuj Ahmed shelter is roaming free.

 The condition is worse in Sonamura Border area, under Sepahijala Dist.  Muslim fundamentalist are so much illegally residing at Sonamura that the subdivision is often called as the “Mini Pakistan” of Tripura. In this situation the unfenced borders of Tripura is increasing the threat of terrorism day by day.