Has the unhindered movement on the Indo-Myanmar border brought the Rohingya militancy closer home for New Delhi? The Union home ministry has literally set out to answer this question by reviewing the "free movement regime" which allows access into the four northeastern states through India's open border with Myanmar.
India and Myanmar share an unhindered open border of 1,643 kilometres. The home ministry has decided to review the free movement regime and the effectiveness of the rules and regulations put in place by the states to ward off national security threats. The FMR committee is chaired by special secretary (internal security) in the home ministry.
The review has come at a time when the intelligence agencies have raised an alarm over the movement of Rohingya militants taking advantage of the free border regime.
Government sources said the committee recently visited the four northeast states which implement the free movement regime (FMR). Special secretary (internal security) Rina Mitra and the joint secretary (northeast) visited all four states with FMR regime—Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur.
Several border exit points were also visited by the team to study the existing system in place. The MHA team also held meetings with the respective state Chief secretaries, DGPs and Commissioners and law enforcement agencies like the Assam Rifles among others.
Unlike the Indo-Bangladesh border, which has dedicated cross over points, the movement on Myanmar border is relatively free. The committee will study whether there is a need to regulate the FMR in a way that while it enables free movement, there are enough checks to detect criminals and anti-national elements. This could be done through creation of dedicated crossing points in border areas.
When home minister Rajnath Singh visited Mizoram in June this year, he had met the chief ministers of the states where the issue was flagged.
Following his interactions, the home minister had said on Twitter that the free movement regime was being misused by militants and trans-border criminals who smuggle weapons and fake Indian currency.
The free movement was also allowing them to escape to safer hideouts after committing crimes. So, has the time come for the government to regulate movement on the Indo-Myanmar border? This question is something that will be answered when the high-level committee of the home ministry submits its report.
