Why Suvendu Adhikari says Bengal government is the weak link in border security

Amid opposition concerns that West Bengal becomes a haven for fundamentalists, BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari shared what he called details of the state government’s “non-cooperation” in resolving land acquisition issues for measures to strengthen the state borders with Bangladesh.

A press release shared on December 30 by the office of Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly, listed alleged flaws that allegedly compromised border security. Adhikari’s allegations followed remarks by Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar that central agencies had failed to prevent illegal infiltration at the state borders.

Adhikari’s note begins by informing that 1,647.4 km out of from Bengal 2,216.7 km long border with Bangladesh had already been closed and the remaining approximately 569 kilometers had not yet been covered due to terrain problems. “There are 133 cases of land acquisition, covering an area of ​​284.5 km. Among them, 120 cases (255.4 km) have received approval from the state cabinet. However, three cases (3.5 km) are awaiting cabinet approval and 10 cases (25.6 km) are awaiting submission to the state government for approval due to lack of revenue documents from the from the district land acquisition authorities,” the note said.

Adhikari added that while Rs 217.89 crore had been paid to Bengal for 57 cases of land acquisition (112 km or 571.6 acres), only 180.3 acres had been transferred to the Border Security Force ( BSF) “after much persuasion and follow-up”. , which represents only 31 percent of the payment made. In 18 cases, the BSF was yet to receive land while in 63 cases, the state government had approved the acquisition but payment was due due to slow valuation by the district authorities responsible for land acquisition.

Adhikari said the construction of border outposts faced similar problems, with 17 cases of land acquisition underway. Of the 10 cases that had received approval, payment had been made in only four cases and the rest were awaiting property assessment. He alleged that even though the Union Home Ministry had issued instructions for creation of a border protection grid, with an institutionalized mechanism of monthly standing committee meetings at the district level, Bengal does not had not yet implemented the system.

On the issue of infiltration in Bengal, Adhikari said 1,454 Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended by the BSF in 2023 and 1,728 in 2024 (till December 15). “On the other hand, the Bengal police have hardly apprehended any Bangladeshi nationals. Furthermore, many people handed over to the police by the BSF manage to get bail and are subsequently re-arrested by the BSF. Similarly, Bangladeshi nationals get fake Aadhaar cards easily. A list of touts involved was provided to the police but no action was taken,” the note said.

Reacting to the allegations, Kunal Ghosh, spokesperson of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), accused Adhikari of sowing “political confusion”. “If there is any problem, let the Union Home Ministry speak to the state. Why is Adhikari sowing political confusion? When the ministry expanded the border jurisdiction of the BSF from 15 km to 50 km, why were the main issues at the border not discussed? he asked.

One of the main campaigns of the Bengal BJP against the TMC and its government has been the alleged negligence in controlling illegal infiltration from Bangladesh. While the BJP claims that the problem of infiltration has worsened since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s regime in the neighboring country, the party has always spoken out against the so-called safe passage given to Bangladeshis in Bengal. The Hasina government has repeatedly denied these claims in the past. However, Hasina’s departure and subsequent arrests of suspected radicals in Bengal have reignited the controversy.

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