The election authorities region ought to be doubly careful while executing their current exercise of preparing new voter lists as there is continuing entry of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Although to a lesser extent they are coming in from Myanmar as well. They need to be at once detected and deported. Our apprehension is that in the long run apart from straining our limited resources they may upset our demography. It is not an unfounded fear. It has its genesis in our bitter experience in North-East and the national capital among other places. The big question is that how do the foreigners misuse the electoral rolls? Till now the petitioners have been successful in avoiding the proceedings against them as well as their deportation from India. In the process, they have incorporated their names in the voter’s lists on the basis of which they must have cast their votes. Thus the petitioners and such other large number of Bangladeshis present in the State of Assam have a major role in electing the representatives both to the Legislative Assembly and Parliament and consequently in the decision-making process towards, building the nation.

It is no longer a secret or in the domain of doubt that illegal Bangladeshis have intruded every nook and corner of Assam including forest land. In some of the cases, the petitioners themselves stated before the police during investigation that they were living in government and forest land. Very often, they are protected by extending the protective of secularism branding them to be Indian minorities. As the indigenous people of Assam both Hindus and Muslims and other religious groups will be reduced to minorities in their own land and the Bangladeshis who are freely moving around the fertile land of Assam will intrude upon the corridors of power.

It is the duty of the police to furnish report on the action plan with respect to detection and deportation of foreign nationals. The foremost duty of the Central Government is to defend the borders of the country, prevent any trespass and make the life of the citizens safe and secure. Neither the Central government nor the State government can disown such solemn responsibilities, they being the protectors of the citizens. Are all these comments not applicable to us in this region? It is in our interest that we not only heed to them but ensure their implementation to prevent such invasions. Right now, sadly, we are not attentive enough. Our attitude actually reminds us of the following variation of Martin Niemoller’s famous poem about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power: “First they came for the Communists, but I was not a communist so I did not speak out Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.”