Guwahati: Dhubri police in Assam on Wednesday arrested a teacher at Lakhimari Middle School, for alleged links with Bangladesh-based jihadi organizations, including Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI).
The accused has been identified as Shah Alam Sarkar.
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The arrest has shaken the border district, raising fears of extremist infiltration in lower Assam’s sensitive Muslim-majority areas.
Sarkar, a resident of Lakhimari village near the international border, is being interrogated to uncover his suspected role in recruitment, propaganda and logistical support for cross-border radicals.
Investigators are also scrutinising the history of Lakhimari Middle School.
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Formerly known as Lakhimari Pre ME Madrasa, the institution was converted into a regular school under SEBA following a government notification on December 13, 2023.
Police suspect that remnants of its madrasa-era networks may have facilitated Sarkar’s alleged activities, highlighting vulnerabilities in border-zone education despite efforts to secularize institutions.
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The case deepened after another teacher from the same school, Hazrat Ali, went underground. A manhunt has been launched as authorities believe he may possess crucial knowledge of the wider network.
His disappearance has heightened speculation of coordinated efforts to evade capture, leaving residents anxious about the presence of extremists embedded within community roles.
This arrest comes amid a spate of recent threats linked to JeI.
Just days earlier, villagers in Dhubri’s Lakhimari and Bishkhowa areas reported receiving menacing calls from a Bangladeshi number, warning of “terrible consequences” for aiding security forces.
Sarkar’s arrest aligns with a broader crackdown on Bangladesh-linked outfits like Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).
Earlier this year, Assam’s Special Task Force apprehended cadres in Dhubri and Bilasipara under Operation Praghat, disrupting sleeper cells allegedly plotting secessionist activities.
Communal tensions, such as the June 2025 riots in Dhubri, have further exposed how radical networks exploit migration, identity politics, and porous borders.
Intelligence sources warn this may be only the beginning, with more arrests likely as probes deepen into JeI’s funding, recruitment, and cross-border support systems.
For now, authorities stress that dismantling these networks is critical to safeguarding Assam’s borderlands from external radical influences threatening India’s security.
The arrest of a village schoolteacher may appear isolated, but it unmasks a dangerous web stretching across borders.
Assam’s frontier is no longer just a geographical line, it is a frontline in the fight against radical infiltration.