Amid Bangladeshi parties’ alleged march towards Indian borders along Agartala on Wednesday , security along the frontiers with Tripura has been tightened and joint patrolling of police, TSR and BSF has been continues in all sensitive areas near Indo-Bangla border.

Official sources said that a large number of security forces were deployed in all bordering towns and villages across Tripura and state police along with BSF are conducting joint patrolling round the clock after recent spurt of fundamentalist forces and atrocities on minorities in neighbouring Bangladesh.

The joint patrolling has also started along the international border with capital city of Agartala and other parts of the state in view of the upcoming two-day plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) will be held in Agartala on December 20-21. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Governors and Chief Ministers of all eight northeastern states will attend the meet.

Police sources said that due to various reasons, the security along the India-Bangladesh border has been further beefed up.

The NEC meet is one of the reasons for heightening security along the border, other sensitive and respective places, said police and added that since the unrest began in Bangladesh a few months ago, the BSF has intensified its vigil along the entire frontiers.

Security presence has been visibly increased near the Agartala-Akhaura (Bangladesh) Integrated Check Post (ICP), the second-largest trading point along the India-Bangladesh border after Petrapole-Benapole ICP in West Bengal. Apart from Akhaura ICP, security strength has also increased in other check posts including in Muhuripur in Belonia, Sabroom and in Unakoti and North Tripura districts.

Police added that joint patrolling and road march in all border roads of the state will continue and police have also set up some police pickets in some vulnerable spots across the international border.

Bangladesh media reported that leaders and activists of three associate bodies of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Jubo Dal, Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatradal and Swecchasebak Dal, on Wednesday morning started a long march towards Agartala in India from Dhaka and Bangladeshi security forces have stopped the Indian border bound march of parties from their country on Wednesday.

According to the Bangladeshi media, the long march has been organised in protest against the December 2 incident in the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission (AHC) in Agartala, where alleged ‘desecration’ of the national flag of the neighbouring country was reported.

After the breach of security at the Bangladesh AHC office in Agartala on December 2, the mission suspended all visa and consular services for an indefinite period from the next day.

The breach of security at the Bangladesh AHC reportedly took place during a protest by an organisation against the atrocities on the Hindu community in Bangladesh.

In view of the atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh and the arrest of ISKCON preacher Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh, various organisations have been holding a series of protests, demonstrations and rallies in different states of the northeast region almost daily.