Gogoi claims crackdown on migrants on the cards

All foreigners who entered Assam after March 24, 1971 —— the day before Mujibur Rehman made his call for an Independent Bangladesh —— will be detected and deported, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said today after a meeting with the Prime Minister.

‘‘The state government, the Centre and the All Assam Students Union (AASU) are in agreement over this. There are no two opinions. The only difference is in the method we will use to find the foreigners,’’ Gogoi said after a meeting today. Gogoi said that the state government was in favour of using the Illegal Migrants Determination Tribunal (IMDT) for the purpose, since ‘‘it provides for the natural justice of the judicial system.’’

Formulating the need for a ‘‘second line of defence against infiltrators’’ from Bangladesh, Gogoi said that his government had told Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Thursday morning that it needed at least two more BSF battalions to man an additional 18 outposts. ‘‘The Home Minister agreed,” he said.