Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi issued a stark warning on Thursday, describing the "large-scale" infiltration in West Bengal and Northeast India as a calculated "strategic" effort to orchestrate another partition of India. Speaking at the Seema Vimarsh conference, a two-day international event on cross-border infiltration held at Delhi University’s Vice-Regal Lodge, Ravi underscored the gravity of the issue, stating, "No army can stop this."

"The kind of infiltration taking place in Bengal, Assam, and other Northeastern states is not just people coming here for a better life and economic opportunities, but it is strategic for another partition... a work in progress," Ravi said, emphasizing that this threatens "Bharat’s unity and integrity." He attributed the persistent issue of illegal immigration to post-independence policies that treated the Northeast as a remote frontier, neglected by successive governments.

"After independence, we left our borders to our soldiers, thinking them to be areas far away. Illegal immigration is the biggest problem in our Northeast areas since independence, and we left the people of the Northeast on their own, thinking that these people are different from us," he explained, noting that this mindset created post-independence tribal conflicts absent before 1947.

Ravi lauded the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for its efforts in fostering inclusion in the region. "A group that has always worked in the Northeast for the betterment and to enhance inclusion is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. I want to thank the workers of the RSS for doing such good work for years," he said.

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Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh, chairing the session, sparked debate by calling for the removal of poet Muhammad Iqbal’s works from academic curricula, citing Iqbal’s advocacy for Hindu-Muslim cultural incompatibility, which influenced Pakistan’s creation. "In Delhi University, we have decided that we will not teach Iqbal," Singh declared, criticizing the Indian Army’s use of Iqbal’s Sare Jahan Se Acha in ceremonies.

"The army should not play this song because the people of our country agreed with 'Sare Jahan Se Acha Hindustan Hamara', but he (Iqbal) himself never believed in it," he argued, urging other vice-chancellors to reconsider teaching Iqbal.

Singh also stressed the need for academic discussions on border security, linking India’s historical invasions to porous boundaries. "The discussion on border security is absolutely necessary in a country that has witnessed servitude for 800 years. Our economic growth and security depend on secure boundaries," he said, referencing the 1947 partition. He further criticized the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, which allocated 80% of three rivers’ water to Pakistan, and praised the current government’s move to place it in abeyance, signaling a shift in India’s water rights stance.

The Seema Vimarsh conference, themed Cross-Border Infiltration: Impact on Socio-Economic, Cultural, and Milieu, is organized by Seema Jagran Manch, Motilal Nehru College (Evening), and Delhi University’s Centre for Independence and Partition Studies. It hosts over 150 participants, including vice-chancellors, government officials, army veterans, foreign delegates, and academics, in hybrid sessions over two days.

Official estimates suggest 15–20 million undocumented Bangladeshi migrants reside in India, particularly in West Bengal and Assam, based on early 2000s government reports and studies. Ravi’s remarks highlight the urgency of addressing this as a national security priority, with the conference aiming to drive policy discussions on securing India’s borders and preserving its unity.

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