Union Home Minister Amit Shah has issued strong directives to district officials in India’s border regions, ordering the identification and demolition of illegal religious structures and encroachments within 30 kilometres of international borders. The minister described these constructions as part of a “deliberate design” to alter the demographic balance in sensitive areas, warning that they pose a direct challenge to national security.
‘Demographic Changes Are Not Natural’
Speaking at the inaugural session of the Vibrant Villages Programme workshop, Shah said that recent demographic changes in border villages were “not organic but orchestrated.” He argued that unauthorized shrines and other structures have been deliberately established to influence the social composition of frontier communities and to weaken India’s border security framework.
District collectors were instructed to treat the matter with urgency and ensure that strict enforcement measures are taken against illegal encroachments.
Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh as Models
Citing Gujarat as an example, Shah noted that the state had successfully removed encroachments along its land and coastal borders, offering a template for other states to follow. “Border villages are our first line of defence,” he said, stressing that they must be secure, self-reliant, and vibrant communities that discourage outward migration.
Shah’s remarks also echoed the position taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address, where the PM alleged that illegal infiltration and encroachment were being used as tools to engineer demographic shifts in border districts. Modi had also announced the formation of a high-powered demographic mission to counter these trends.
Earlier this year, similar actions were seen in Uttar Pradesh, where more than 400 unauthorized structures—including mosques, madrasas, shrines, and Eidgahs—were demolished within 10 kilometres of the Indo-Nepal border. Those demolitions were carried out after satellite and drone mapping, and officials said the focus was on reclaiming government land and preventing misuse of sensitive border areas.
Balancing Security and Development
The Home Minister emphasized that this enforcement drive would not be limited to demolition alone but would be integrated into the broader Vibrant Villages Programme, which seeks to improve infrastructure, connectivity, and welfare coverage in India’s border areas.
“Development must go hand in hand with security. Our villages along the borders must be places where people choose to stay, prosper, and contribute to national strength,” Shah said.
Officials added that states along India’s northern and northeastern borders are likely to be the next focus, with mapping exercises already underway to identify unauthorized structures.
Broader Security Strategy
The government has underlined that safeguarding border areas from encroachment is not only a matter of land use but also a core part of national security planning. Authorities maintain that unauthorized religious structures in sensitive areas are vulnerable to exploitation by external forces and can be used to create friction or shield illegal activities.
The renewed push highlights the Centre’s approach of combining enforcement with development—removing unauthorized constructions while simultaneously investing in border communities to prevent depopulation and ensure that residents benefit from central and state welfare schemes.
With both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister publicly prioritizing this issue, observers say the demolition drive is likely to intensify in the coming months, making it a central pillar of India’s border security strategy.