West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari hands over land to BSF for border fencing; vows crackdown on infiltrators

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday handed over land to the BSF for international boundary fencing and security infrastructure, beginning with a 27 km stretch, and said more land would be provided wherever required to strengthen border management in the state.

Addressing a BSF land transfer meeting, Adhikari said the process marked the beginning of a larger initiative to improve border security in the state.

"The land will be handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) within two weeks. Initially, land covering a 27 km stretch along the India-Bangladesh international boundary is being handed over," he said.

Calling it the first step in a broader exercise, Adhikari said, "As a beginning, the land required to secure the 27 km stretch is being provided to the BSF."

Highlighting the need to expedite border infrastructure, the chief minister said a sizeable portion of West Bengal's international boundary still remained unfenced.

"In West Bengal, around 1,600 km of the total 2,200 km border with Bangladesh has already been fenced, while nearly 600 km still remains unfenced," he said.

"Wherever land is needed for fencing and border security, we will hand it over to the BSF," he added.

Targeting the previous Trinamool Congress government, Adhikari alleged that it had failed to cooperate on border infrastructure because of "vote bank politics and appeasement policies".

"The previous government, due to its vote bank politics and appeasement policies, did not give land to the BSF," he claimed.

Adhikari also alleged that coordination among the BSF, state police and district administration in bordering areas had weakened over the years.

"For the last several years, coordination meetings between the BSF, state police and administration in bordering areas had not happened," he said.

He said the district-level coordination mechanism had now been revived.

"The district coordination meetings have now started and these will happen regularly now," the chief minister said.

Announcing a stricter policy on illegal immigration, Adhikari said the state has implemented a provision for the handover of the infiltrators, nabbed by the police, to the BSF.

"A letter was sent by the Centre to the state last year regarding the direct handover of infiltrators to the BSF, but the previous government failed to implement this important provision. We have now enforced it," he said.

Adhikari said those not covered under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act would be treated as infiltrators and action would be taken accordingly.

"Those who are not covered under the CAA will be treated as infiltrators. The state police will arrest them and hand them over to the BSF," he said.

He added that such persons would subsequently be deported.

"The infiltrators will be deported," Adhikari said.