Key Points
- The government advises people to reconsider travel to some states in India's north-east.
- It has reiterated a 'do not travel' warning to some areas near Pakistan.
- There are several serious risks travellers need to be aware of, it states.
The Australian government has updated its advice for travel to parts of India, warning people to reconsider the need to travel to parts of the north-east and certain border areas due to the risk of violence.
Travellers to anywhere in India need to “exercise a high degree of caution overall… due to the high threat of terrorist activity, civil unrest and crime,” according to the Department of .
“We now advise (you to) reconsider your need to travel to the Atari-Wagah border crossing, north-eastern states of Assam (except Guwahati), Nagaland and Manipur; and Chhattisgarh, and the border areas of neighbouring states due to the high risk of violence,” the website reads.
Human Rights Watch reports there have been alleged attacks and killings along the India-Bangladesh border for at least a decade.
According to media reports, some insurgent groups are active in north-east India.
In 2021, violent clashes along the disputed border between Assam and Mizoram led to deaths and a number of civilians were killed by security forces in Nagaland near the Myanmar border.
Nagaland and Manipur share a border with Myanmar which is in the grips of a civil war.
The government has maintained its advice of ‘do not travel’ to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (excluding the Union Territory of Ladakh) and the India-Pakistan border.
The government states this is due to the danger of armed clashes, terrorist activities and violent demonstrations.
“If you do need to travel to this location, get professional security advice. Your travel insurance policy may be void.”
People travelling to India should monitor the media for new and existing risks, the Australian government says.
Both India and Pakistan claim all of Muslim-majority Kashmir but control only parts of it and the risk of conflict in the province has been-near constant for over 75 years.
“Monitor the media for new and existing risks” is the latest advice given to people travelling anywhere in India.
The update adds that anyone travelling to India should “Monitor the media for new and existing risks.”
A DFAT spokesperson said: "The overall level of advice for India did not change. The advice level overall remains ‘Exercise a high degree of caution' (level 2 of 4) due to the high threat of terrorist activity, civil unrest and crime.
"DFAT keeps all Smartraveller travel advisories under close review, including to regularly and carefully assess the risks to Australians overseas and to provide the latest information."
