Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan's alleged attacker, Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, is currently under police custody. Investigations are intensifying, with claims from the police that they have unraveled the details behind the attack. From entering Saif's residence to launching the attack, the narrative seems to unfold with challenges in connecting all dots precisely. Through relentless interrogations, the police aim to uncover the complete story.
The burning question remains — how did the incident transpire? What exactly happened on the night of January 16? How did the accused escape from Saif's residence after the assault? Mumbai Police might re-enact the crime scene at Saif Ali Khan's home to gather more evidence. Post-arrest, it was revealed that the accused was a Bangladeshi infiltrator. The growing presence of illegal immigrants in the country poses a significant threat to national security.
Source: aajtak
Initially identified as Vijay Das, the attacker's real name is Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, a Bangladeshi infiltrator who worked in Mumbai as a cleaner for the past six months without any Indian identification. He procured a SIM card under the alias Jahangir Sheikh in Kolkata and used it actively.
Tracking such offenders is indeed daunting for state police. Imagine if Shehzad had fled to Bangladesh — capturing him would have been next to impossible. This incident cannot be brushed off as a minor crime. If an infiltrator can breach Saif's security and attack him at home, similar threats loom for others, highlighting illegal Bangladeshi infiltration as a severe national concern.
Illegal infiltrators effortlessly cross into India, subsequently creating fake identification under assumed names. They might be anyone — your housemaid, driver, or gardener. In this case, Saif's attacker changed his identity from Shehzad to Vijay Das. Who knows how many infiltrators may have secured identity cards under Hindu names across cities like Delhi and Mumbai?
The pressing question arises, is infiltration into India that easy? When foreigners visit India, they are required to obtain a visa, just like you would when traveling abroad. Yet these illegal Bangladeshis enter India without visas. Neighboring Pakistan sends unauthorized infiltrators termed as terrorists. So, are Bangladeshi infiltrators more challenging to block than Pakistani terrorists? Understanding this requires grasping the border challenges shared with Bangladesh.
Five Indian states — West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, and Mizoram — share borders with Bangladesh. India and Bangladesh share a vast border stretching over 4,097 kilometers, with Bangladesh having the longest border with India. India responds with force against Pakistani infiltration but refrains from similar actions with Bangladesh due to bilateral ties and trade relations. Furthermore, the inconsistent enforcement across parts of the border complicates matters.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, barbed fencing covers approximately 3,141 kilometers of the Indo-Bangladeshi border, accounting for only 77 percent. Notably, West Bengal has achieved around 82 percent of its fencing projects. However, about 950 kilometers of the border remain unfenced, largely where rivers crisscross, making fencing arduous.
The prospect of erecting complete fencing invites significant challenges for India. Some regions face disputes, suppressing fencing endeavors, while villagers residing near the border oppose construction. Though infiltrations occur through plains, jungles, and rivers alike, the infiltration routes mainly originate from West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura on the Indian side.
Source: aajtak
This includes areas like South Salmara, Karimganj, and Dhubri in Assam; West Tripura and Dhalai in Tripura; along with Malda, Murshidabad, and North 24 Parganas in West Bengal. With open borders, preventing infiltration becomes almost impossible for security forces, and barbed fencing often falls short of effectiveness. Shehzad, who attacked Saif Ali Khan, likely traversed through these routes before entering India.
Not just Shehzad, but hundreds of Bangladeshi infiltrators continue arriving through similar paths and have been settling in India over recent years. Some recent arrests from Delhi revealed the involvement of organized gangs facilitating fake identity creation for these infiltrators, who mostly claim to be residents of West Bengal and Assam, owning forged identification from those areas.
