Speaking at the "Shaheed Parivar Fund" function organised by the Hind Samachar group of newspapers here today, Gill said the problem of infiltration posed a bigger threat to India than terrorism and Pakistan spy agency ISI.
"The cases of infiltration in the country are increasing day by day. People are infiltrating into the country from all sides and it is therefore a huge concern. The issue mostly gets overlooked and needs to be seriously tackled.
"For India's security, infiltration is definitely a cause of worry even more than terrorism and Pakistan spy agency ISI. We need to get serious over the issue," Gill said.
Referring to violence in Assam, Gill said the situation was extremely serious and worrisome for the country and the government needs to show grit to resolve the problem.
"The government needs to tackle the situation in Assam with all its seriousness. If government fails, the issue will just become a matter of political discussion amd may imperil an entire community and culture," he said.
Gill said infiltration was a huge problem in Assam even when he was posted in the state's Nagaon district in 1961 from Bangladesh, the then East Pakistan.
"When Rajiv Gandhi came to power he talked about bring a strong law to end the menace of infiltration. However, the matter ended there and there still no law to curb infiltration," he said.
Gill said that there should be a law in Assam similar to that in Himachal Pradesh and some other states that guarantees people their identity and the ownership of their land.
"There are many states in the country which do not allow outsiders to buy land. Assam too needs to have a similar law so that people do not lose their identity or their right over their land," he said.
Gill said terrorism was a solvable problem for India, saying: "Punjab faced it and it ended there. Militancy will end in Jammu and Kashmir as well. The real threat is infiltration which can affect out country's culture. India needs to take the issue seriously," he said.
