India, Aug. 18 -- The North East Student Organisations (NESO) on Monday staged sit-in strikes across all state capitals of the region, demanding that the Centre and state governments act decisively to curb illegal immigration from Bangladesh and safeguard the indigenous people.

Addressing protesters in Meghalaya's capital Shillong, NESO chairman Samuel B Jyrwa said the agitation was a call to action against decades of unchecked influx that has altered the demographic balance in several states.

"We have faced this problem of illegal immigration especially from Bangladesh into different parts of the Northeast. We have seen the situation in Tripura, Assam and even Meghalaya, where there have been upheavals and people's movements against th...