Centre alerted northeast on possible jihadi activities

The Union Home Ministry has alerted all the eight northeastern states to maintain a maximum vigil to deal with any threat of jihadi activities in the region, a top official said on Monday.

"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.

The official, who refused to be identified, said that the MHA also alerted the all central and state intelligence agencies to keep a close watch on the situation specially along the international borders

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said in Guwahati that threat of fundamentalists to northeast India is not new.

"Vulnerability of threat is very high as around 98% of northeast region is associated with the international borders," Rijiju told reporters in Guwahati.

Only 250 km out of the northeast's 5,687 km outer perimeter touches India. The remaining 5437 km represents international boundaries with China (1300), Myanmar (1643 km), Bangladesh (1880 km), Bhutan (516 km) and Nepal (98 km).

The minister said, "IS (Islamic State) is also trying to influence the region. The Centre is taking all steps to thwart any threat."

"My ministry has asked all the state governments in northeast specially Assam government beef up security in these states following the recent terror attack in Dhaka," he added.

Tripura Director General of Police K Nagaraj said the state government has asked the BSF (Border Security Force) to maintain maximum alert along the border in view of the terror attack in Dhaka.

"Though there is no specific report of any hostile development, CPMF deployed in the state, and Tripura Police and Tripura State Rifles are keeping a close watch on the prevailing situation," Nagaraj told IANS.

The police chief said that we are giving special attention on the bordering districts and sensitive and mixed populated areas of Tripura.

Brigadier General Mohammad Habibul Karim, Chittagong sector Regional Director of Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), said that they would share terror information with the Border Security Force (BSF).

Karim, who is leading a 20-member Bangladesh delegation at a four day border coordination meeting begun here on Sunday, told reporters that terror activities could not be curbed by a single security force or a single country, this has to be dealt with joint efforts.

A four-day long Inspector General (IG) level meeting between the BSF and BGB began here on Sunday to discuss and resolve border issues between the two neighbouring countries.

BSF's Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram frontiers officials and and concerned officials of the three bordering states have attended the meeting.

Indian delegation is led by BSF's Meghalaya frontier IG P K Dubey his Tripura frontier counterpart J B Sangwan.