Published: 11:52 PM, 14 June 2026
India-BD border fencing is a historical mistake: Assam CM
Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma. -Agency
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said the incomplete fencing of the India-Bangladesh border is a "historical mistake", The Times of India (TOI) reports. He said the implementation of border management provisions under the 1985 Assam Accord effectively had begun only in 2025, the report added on Sunday.
According to TOI, Himanta said efforts to curb illegal movement from Bangladesh were delayed because border fencing was initially concentrated only along Assam, without simultaneous expansion to other border states.
"The actual implementation of the provisions of the 1985 Assam Accord has started from 2025.
We were not able to stop the Bangladeshi movement earlier," he was quoted as saying by the Indian news outlet.
Himanta said Assam shares a 1,600km border with Bangladesh and argued that fencing efforts after the Accord were narrowly focused.
"After signing the Assam Accord, we said that border fencing should be done along the Assam-Bangladesh border, and accordingly, the work was undertaken," he said.
"But we did not think that fencing should be done in Meghalaya, Tripura and West Bengal as well. Our demand should have been for the entire 1,600km border to be fenced," he added.
The chief minister said large stretches of the border in neighbouring states had remained open for years, facilitating cross-border movement.
According to him, nearly 90 percent of fencing in Meghalaya has now been completed, while around 60 percent has been completed in Tripura.
He added that work is also progressing in Mizoram.
He also said fencing has now been taken up in West Bengal, where nearly 800km of the border had remained unfenced.
Questioning the logic of securing only select stretches, Himanta said: "If Siliguri is open and Mankachar is closed, then what is the meaning? These were historical mistakes."
He also noted that the union government has formed a committee on demographic changes and is likely to take further measures in border regions.
"Our suggestion will be to conduct scrutiny of the citizenship status of every family residing in the bordering areas," he added.
>>Agency
