Guwahati, 21 August (HS): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has expressed grave concern over security threats in the Indo-Bangladesh border areas of Dhubri, particularly pointing to the strategic “chicken neck” corridor as a vulnerable zone.

During an interaction with the media after Cabinet meeting, Sarma revealed that his visit to Dhubri exposed disturbing signs of external influence. He noted that wall writings in the area openly urged residents to pledge loyalty to Bangladesh. According to him, the entire 22 km stretch of the chicken neck is inhabited by families whose roots trace back to Bangladesh, some even before 1971 or 1951. While they hold Indian citizenship today, Sarma warned that Bangladesh’s attempts to rekindle a foreign identity among them could stoke pro-Bangladeshi sentiments and pose a “serious security threat in the coming days.”

Adding to these concerns, reports from border villages have heightened tensions. Residents of Lakhimari and Bishkhowa under Golakganj police station claimed they received threatening phone calls and audio messages from a Bangladeshi number. The callers, suspected to be linked with Bangladesh-based Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), allegedly warned locals of dire consequences if they cooperated with police during arrests, even threatening to torch homes along the border.

These intimidation efforts came shortly after a youth was arrested on the eve of Independence Day in Golakganj. Police found him in possession of a Bangladeshi SIM card and the national flag of Bangladesh, raising alarms of deeper cross-border connections.

With fears mounting of radical elements attempting to destabilize the sensitive region, security agencies are maintaining close vigil over developments in Dhubri’s border belt.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash