Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee directed officials from the north Bengal districts on Wednesday to maintain close vigil on the state’s border areas and ensure that infiltrators and terrorists do not get an opportunity to sneak in.
“I have information that some people entered through the Assam border and other places and collected Pan card numbers and details of other identity documents from local people. Keep a close watch on the border,” Banerjee told officials from Malda, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, East Dinajpur, West Dinajpur and Jalpaiguri at an administrative meeting in Siliguri town.
“Share personal information only with people authorised to collect it. Be careful about fake videos circulated to create communal trouble,” she said.
“Do you pay surprise visits to the Hili border (with Bangladesh)? No terrorist should enter and take shelter. Increase police patrolling. That instils confidence in local citizens,” Banerjee told officials from South Dinajpur where Hili is located.
Banerjee, who is also in charge of the home department, pulled up the intelligence branch (IB) of the state police.
“IB has to be more active and effective. Be proactive and not inactive. There should not be any communal tension anywhere,” said Banerjee who alleged in April that miscreants “from across the border” carried out the communal riot in Murshidabad district’s Jangipur sub-division when local Muslims were protesting against the newly enforced Waqf (Amendment) Act. A Hindu man and his son were hacked to death by the rioters while a Muslim man died in police firing between April 8 and 12.
{{/usCountry}}“IB has to be more active and effective. Be proactive and not inactive. There should not be any communal tension anywhere,” said Banerjee who alleged in April that miscreants “from across the border” carried out the communal riot in Murshidabad district’s Jangipur sub-division when local Muslims were protesting against the newly enforced Waqf (Amendment) Act. A Hindu man and his son were hacked to death by the rioters while a Muslim man died in police firing between April 8 and 12.
{{/usCountry}}“How could the riot take place?” Banerjee asked the officials on Wednesday.
The chief minister did not name Bangladesh even once, but her warning came days after security along the border was tightened by the Army and central agencies in view of Operation Sindoor. An integrated field exercise, codenamed Teesta Prahar, was held days ago by the Army in Bengal and Assam, which, too, shares border with Bangladesh.
Infiltration from Bangladesh has been a key political issue in Bengal in almost every recent election with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing Trinamool Congress (TMC) of using illegal immigrants as its vote bank.
The TMC chairperson and her party colleagues countered these allegations and maintained that guarding the border was the job of the Border Security Force (BSF). In November 2021, the West Bengal legislative assembly also passed a resolution against the Centre’s decision to extend the BJF’s jurisdiction from 15 to 50 km of the international border in the state.
On Wednesday, Banerjee did not mention BSF but instructed her party leaders and government officials to keep a watch on the border, especially areas where fences have not been put up yet.
“I have heard that people are entering through Islampur and Chopra (in North Dinajpur along Bangladesh) where a large part of the border is open. There is a specific place in Islampur through which people tried to enter. Identify that spot and keep a watch,” Banerjee said.
She ordered her officials and TMC leaders from north Bengal to monitor the revision of voters’ list as well.
She said: “I am asking everybody, especially the district magistrates, to be vigilant. There is information that same names (of voters) are being entered in the lists twice or thrice. This is being done by data entry operators. I am not blaming all of them, but some are doing this.”
“Some people are coming from outside and getting voter identity cards. This must be stopped,” said Banerjee.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) refused to offer any credence to Banerjee’s warnings.
Samik Bhattacharya, chief spokesperson of the BJP’s Bengal unit, said: “The Left Front government ensured free passage for Bangladeshi infiltrators for 34 years while Banerjee turned the state into a safe haven for these people. The concern she tried to show today has no takers. Even Rohingyas from Myanmar have found a home in Bengal during her regime.”