Post-Paris attacks, India cautious over arrivals from Bangladesh

In the wake of the recent terror attacks in Paris, the Indian security agencies are leaving no stones unturned to ensure that those arriving from Bangladesh are checked thoroughly.

Some of the perpetrators of the Paris attacks had reportedly entered France in the guise of Syrian refugees.

Reports of the Islamic State (IS) making significant overtures to draw the ‘faithful’ from India and Bangladesh have intensified the vigilance further.

Sources said necessary steps were taken even before the first batch of Indians crossed the border and reached Mekhliganj in Cooch Behar district of West Bengal where they will be living in temporary settlements for the next two years.

The first layer of security check saw confiscating all mobile SIM cards issued in Bangladesh from the new arrivals, said an officer with the Border Security Force’s (BSF) intelligence branch.

Officials, involved with the process of overseeing re-settlement of people coming from the erstwhile Indian enclaves in Bangladesh, said even though all those who opted for Indian citizenship will have valid documents, security agencies will keep them under close vigil.

“After they settle down, it’s most likely their relatives from Bangladesh will visit them.
These visits will all be monitored,” a senior official with the home ministry said.

While security and intelligence agencies are likely to have sizeable presence in these areas. As additional measure, these settlements have been erected close to the BSF camps. Camps of local police are also being set up there, sources said.