Indian Army personnel stand vigil along the Indo-Myanmar international border. File | Photo credit: The Hindu
Amid the recent arrest of seven foreign nationals, including six Ukrainians and a US citizen, who allegedly crossed illegally into Myanmar through Mizoram to train armed ethnic groups in arms handling and drone operations, data shows that 43 km of the total 1,643 km border with Myanmar has been fenced so far.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has accused foreigners of importing drones from Europe to Myanmar via India for use by ethnic armed groups (EAGs) in Myanmar.
The government recently informed a parliamentary panel that to control illegal migration, trafficking and insurgent activities along the border with Myanmar, “coordination is maintained with local communities, the Myanmar military and associated security agencies” and “a joint anti-drone mechanism with monthly reporting has also been put in place”.
The fencing project, which involves the installation of gates that record biometric data and photos of people crossing the border, has faced opposition from residents of border states, as people on both sides share deep ethnic, social and cultural ties.
As many as 43 designated exit and entry gates were put into operation to regulate the movement of people, and biometric and entry gates were introduced. However, in the last two years, the number of gates has dropped to 38 and only 20 are functional, a government source said. At least five gates along the Mizoram-Myanmar border had to be closed as no one was using them, the source added.
The Assam Rifles, the country’s oldest paramilitary force, which is under the operational control of the army but administratively falls under the Ministry of Home Affairs, guards the border along Myanmar.
According to the latest figures provided by the ministry to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, of the total 1,643 km of fencing approved by the government, 390.39 km have been sanctioned and only 43.75 km of fencing has been completed so far; Currently, 346.64 km is under construction.
Road infrastructure showed similar progress in the initial phase – 3,194.8 km approved; 941.919 km sanctioned; 11.5 km completed; and 930,419 km under construction, according to a report tabled in Parliament on March 17.
The Cabinet Committee on Safety (CCS) approved the project in March 2024 at a cost of ₹31,000 crore.
In December 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs introduced new measures to regulate the movement of persons along the unfenced border running along the states of Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Nagaland (215 km), Manipur (398 km) and Mizoram (510 km).
India and Myanmar share an unfenced border and have a unique arrangement called the Free Movement Regime (FMR). While the FMR has not been scrapped, it has been regulated and the free movement of people – without visas and passports on either side of the unfenced border – has been restricted to 10 km from the previous 16 km.
The parliamentary committee was informed by the ministry that along the Indo-Myanmar border, issues such as illegal migration, human trafficking and insurgent activities are being addressed through intelligence operations, enhanced surveillance and coordinated ground action.
Published – 19 March 2026 23:12 IST
