Guwahati, Oct 22: The Northeast region of India shares about 5,484 km of international borders with China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. The borders are highly porous due to rugged hills, dense forests, and river valleys. These areas are home to over 200 ethnic groups with strong cultural and family ties that cross national boundaries.
The region faces multiple security threats such as insurgency, narco-terrorism, illegal migration, refugee flows, arms smuggling, human trafficking, radicalisation, and geopolitical tensions.
Though insurgency has been reduced to a great extent in recent times, the threat to the international borders remains active, official sources said.
One of the problem areas is the India-Bangladesh border. The India-Bangladesh border stretches 4,096 km, of which approximately 3,240 km has been fenced as of early 2026.
Around 857 km still remains unfenced, mainly due to riverine terrain, marshy land, and pending land acquisition. Smart surveillance and new fencing works are underway to cover the remaining gaps.
This border is primarily challenged by illegal immigration, trafficking, smuggling, and rising radicalisation. Long-standing undocumented migration has fuelled concerns over cultural and resource shifts, especially in Assam. This has sparked political unrest through demographic changes and land encroachment.
In recent years (2024–2026), infiltration attempts continue despite near-complete border fencing in many stretches. Assam authorities reported that 1,422 illegal foreigners were sent back between February 2025 and January 2026, along with regular small-batch push-backs.
These operations have strained border management, occasionally caused diplomatic friction with Bangladesh, and heightened community tensions.
The other problems along the India-Bangladesh border include human trafficking and smuggling networks. Infiltration attempts persist amid riverine vulnerabilities, often intertwined with cattle smuggling and human trafficking.
Networks traffic women and children from Bangladesh into India for sexual exploitation, forced labour, or domestic servitude, while also using document forgery to access public services. These movements strain resources and heighten community tensions.