Border states must remain vigilant about Rohingya infiltration: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 27 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday that every border state must remain vigilant about the infiltration of Rohingya Muslims into the country through the Indo-Bangladesh border.
The Chief Minister said 138 infiltrators had been detected in the last two months in the state, adding that almost all of them were Rohingya Muslims.
"In the last two months, we have detected 138 infiltrators and we have pushed them back. But one thing I must repeat is that contrary to the expectation that Hindus will come inside India because of the instability in Bangladesh. We are finding only the Rohingya Muslims, not Hindu Bengalis who are coming into our country," Sarma told reporters.
He clarified that the initial assumption about Hindu Bengalis seeking refuge due to Bangladesh's internal instabilities was inaccurate, as data suggests primarily Muslim Rohingya are crossing over.

"First, the perception of Hindu Bengalis is wrong, that is what the data says. Second, the Rohingya Muslims are still trying to come into the various states of our country. Every state government must remain vigilant and they must work very closely with the BSF," he said.
"Assam and Tripura we are working very closely; we are detecting people. If the Bengal government also start detecting people, I think this will be a good orchestra and this will be a systematic effort," he added.
Meanwhile, CM Sarma also announced the State Cabinet's decision to increase the Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees by three per cent from the current 50 per cent to 53 per cent of their basic salary.
The increase in the DA will be retroactively effective from July this year, Chief Minister Sarma announced in the press conference.
The employees will receive their DA arrears starting from December to March, with the government providing 25 per cent of the amount each month.
The Chief Minister said the DA increase is a Diwali gift of the government to the employees.
The Cabinet also decided to celebrate Bhasha Gaurav Saptah (language pride week) from November 3 to November 9, 2024, to honour the Assamese language and its recent status as a classical language approved by the Union Cabinet, the Chief Minister said. (ANI)