Northeast Diary: Disguised as refugees, Kuki-Chin militants from Bangladesh entered Mizoram | India News

Some areas along Mizoram’s borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar have been put on alert after Indian security agencies as well as border guarding forces confirmed that the Kuki-Chin National Army (KCNA) had triggered an IED blast in a forest in Lawngtlai district last month. The KCNA is an ethnic militant group active in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts.

This comes after the Central Young Lai Association (CYLA), an NGO, had issued a statement highlighting the incident that took place on June 26. It also expressed apprehension that militants had entered Mizoram in the guise of refugees and were indulging in illegal activities such as smuggling of weapons and arms training in Indian territory.
Mizoram is currently hosting hundreds of Kuki-Chin refugees displaced due to counter-terror operations carried out by Bangladeshi security forces in the country’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region. CHT is home to nearly a dozen ethnic minority groups – mostly Buddhists and Christians. The small Christian community of Kuki-Chin people, known as “Bawm” in Bangladesh, shares ethnic ties with Mizos.

Both the Assam Rifles and the Border Security Force (BSF) – which guard India’s borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, respectively – are understood to have submitted reports to the authorities concerned in Delhi.
The KCNA had reportedly joined hands with a new Islamist terror outfit, the Jamaa’tul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya (JAFHS), to help it establish a base in CHT, the main reason why Bangladeshi armed forces have launched operations in the region. TOI+ published a detailed report on this in April.
The Assam Rifles has also confirmed the link between the KCNA and the Islamist terror group. It is believed that the KCNA had tested the IED for use against the Bangladeshi security forces. Indian intelligence agencies are alarmed because Mizoram could be used as a base to launch attacks on the Bangladesh security forces.
A few months ago, two KCNA functionaries were apprehended by the Assam Rifles and handed over to the Mizoram Police. One of them was booked under the Foreigners Act 1946. He was later convicted and released after the completion of prison term.
The other one was also released as he had an identity card issued by the state government, according to sources. The refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh currently staying in Mizoram are issued temporary ID cards, which includes details like name, place of origin and their current address.
With the general elections approaching in Bangladesh, the jihadist outfit can step up its campaign against the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party, which is known for its zero-tolerance for Islamist terror. Terrorist activities near the trijunction could also mean trouble for the multi-crore Kaladan project, a key component of India’s flagship Act East policy.