Authorities in Tripura have sent a large group of Bangladeshi nationals back to their homeland.
The repatriation process began after a meeting between the border security forces of both India and Bangladesh.
On June 3, over 350 people, including women and children belonging to the Chakma and Tripuri tribes from Bangladesh, had entered Indian territory and taken refuge in four villages of the Gandacherra area along the international border.
They fled their villages after non-tribals attacked their homes in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), a tribal dominated area in Bangladesh that borders India and Myanmar.
After holding a series of meetings with Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officials, 92 of them were recently repatriated in the presence of senior civil and security officials of the two countries.
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"The repatriation of 92 members of Bangladeshi nationals, they are all Chakma and they came from Dighinala Thana (police station) area of Khagrachari district. Recently it is heard, as told by them, that there was some disturbance among them and because of the violence they came to this part of India on the 3rd of this month," said Bhaskar Das Gupta, sub-divisional magistrate, (SDM) Gandacherra.
Some 250 of migrants are untraceable and authorities and making attempts to locate and repatriate them soon.
Meanwhile, a large number of returnees demanded written assurance for the Bangladeshi authority of safety of life and property from fundamentalist attack and actual implementation of the Chittagong Hill Track Peace Accord.
"We demand for the implementation of Peace Accord is very much necessary for economic benefit of our people. Without it we cannot live peacefully so it is our most vital demand," said Rubel Chakma, a refugee.
Another refugee, Uma Chakma, said, "We want total security and implementation of the Peace Accord as without that we cannot live safely there."
President Pranab Mukherjee while addressing the Parliament had said that strict measures will be taken to check illegal migration and cross-border infiltration in the northeast.
"The issue of infiltration and illegal immigrants in the Northeast region will be tackled on priority and all pending fencing work along the Northeast border will be completed," Mukherjee had said.
India shares a 4,096 km long border with Bangladesh, the longest boundary it has with any of its neighbors.
