Security forces on high alert as border fence damaged along Myanmar frontier

Imphal: Indian security forces have expressed concern after a 200-metre stretch of the Indo-Myanmar border fence at Changpol village in Manipur’s Chandel district was found cut, officials said on Saturday.

Security personnel discovered the damaged section on December 2 while patrolling the sensitive international boundary. They immediately cordoned off the area, and repair work is now underway.

Assam Rifles and the Border Security Force have intensified vigilance along the Manipur-Myanmar border. Officials suspect anti-social elements behind the act. “We are trying to identify those involved,” an official said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has assigned the border-fencing project to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and the Border Road Task Force (BRTF). The project carries an estimated cost of ?31,000 crore.

As of early July 2025, agencies had completed around 401 km of the planned 1,643-km fence across the Northeast. This includes about 9.2 km near Moreh. The fencing aims to curb illegal infiltration, cross-border movement, weapons smuggling and drug trafficking.

However, tribal groups in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh continue to oppose the project.

They say the border barrier and the end of the Free Movement Regime in February 2024 has cut off communities with deep cultural and family ties across Myanmar.