[ Bengia Ajum ]
ITANAGAR, 28 Nov: The visit of two French nationals to Arunachal Pradesh in August has raised concern among the security agencies.
Two French nationals visited Bodisatta village in Deban circle of Changlang district, in violation of the terms and conditions of the protected area permit (PAP) which is issued to foreigners visiting the state.
The security agencies have raised red flags over the visit and have sought strong action against the tour agency that facilitated the visit of the duo.
They reached Bodisatta on 13 August and stayed at the Universal Education School, Alice Project, till 16 August. They interacted with students and teachers of the school during their stay.
A day later, they left for Itanagar.
What has worried the security agencies is that they were not accompanied by the official guide during the trip, which is in violation of the PAP system.
During their journey from Guwahati to Bodisatta, they were accompanied by a person who has been identified as Masum Chakma, a student of the Universal Education Inter College, Sarnath, Varanasi, UP.
The French duo’s presence was not reported to either the SP or the FRRO of Changlang. Further, they did not sign in at the check gates while entering and exiting Miao. They also did not submit the C-Form as per the Immigration, Visa and Foreigners Registration & Tracking (IVFRT) guidelines.
Around 100 children of Bodisatta village study in the school, and the teachers are mostly Chakma settlers. The school is run by a Chakma settler named Suchandra Chakma.
The French nationals also visited other villages in the area and interacted with the villagers. The security agencies, while raising concern over such violation of the PAP and other guidelines, said that such unauthorised visits to “an underground infested district like Changlang” poses a serious security threat.
They have sought strong action against M/s Earthlink Tour & Travel Agency, and also urged tour operators of the state to be careful while facilitating visits of foreigners to the state.
An official of the home department confirmed that the department has received a report regarding the visit from the security agency and is contemplating various measures in this regard.
“A detailed report from the DA concerned has been sought,” the official said.
