Kolkata:
West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Kumar said on Sunday that it is the responsibility of the Border Security Force (BSF) to stop infiltration from Bangladesh. Kumar said despite the “shortcomings” of the central security force, the state police was dealing with the issue effectively. Praising the professionalism of the police, the IPS officer said that the police is successfully dealing with the problem of infiltration.
He assured the people of the state that the police are keeping an eye on the situation in the neighboring country and cited its past success in dealing with left and right wing extremism. Referring to the increasing infiltration through the state’s international border, Kumar said, “It is the responsibility of the BSF to deal with the issue of infiltration. Despite various challenges, we (state police) are doing good work.
The DGP, who was talking to journalists at the state police headquarters here, was accompanied by ADG and IGP of the state intelligence branch Javed Shamim and Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma. Kumar assured, “West Bengal Police is a very professional force. We would like to assure the people of the state that we are keeping an eye on the situation in Bangladesh. Before this we have successfully dealt with left and right wing extremism. We will do this again.
The IPS officer said, “Even if someone enters India through Tura in Meghalaya, he will have to pass through West Bengal to reach other states. The situation in Bangladesh is critical and we do not want its impact to happen here as well.” In an indirect criticism of BSF operations, Kumar alleged several lapses in border security operations. He said, “West Bengal is the only state which shares its border with three countries. BSF is responsible for the security of the borders, but there are many shortcomings in its operations. Recently, many people crossed the border and entered Bengal, but we are taking action. We arrest the infiltrators and ensure that they are handed over to the concerned authorities.
Kumar praised the role of the police in arresting the ‘Tehreek-e-Mujahideen’ terrorist hiding in the state and said the Special Task Force (STF) had kept the man under surveillance for two days before alerting the Jammu and Kashmir Police. . He said, “We are doing our work quietly. Based on the information of the state STF, we kept a watch on the Kashmiri terrorist for two days. Then we informed Kashmir Police. We cannot share too many details about the investigation.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) West Bengal unit leader Subhendu Adhikari strongly criticized Kumar for praising the state police in tackling right-wing extremism. The BJP leader asked the IPS officer to reveal the names of organizations involved in right-wing extremism. The officer accused the Bengal DGP of spreading “propaganda against nationalist Sanatani organisations, just as your counterparts across the border in Bangladesh are making false allegations against the Sanatani community there.”
In a post on social media platform ‘X’, he said, “DGP Rajeev Kumar (IPS) you have said that your “efficient” police force is dealing with “right wing extremism”. I challenge you to name the organizations involved in so-called “right wing extremism” in West Bengal. Please provide details of any alleged incidents of violence and the names of the persons responsible whom you have apprehended so far.
The officer alleged that the state government has not provided land to the BSF and due to this hundreds of kilometers of international border between India and Bangladesh is open. The officer, being the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the state IT department, criticized Kumar for being “not aware of the facts”.
He said, “It is surprising that you, the most important IPS officer, is a ‘Super Cop’ who is also a bureaucrat (Principal Secretary). He holds the most powerful position after the Chief Minister, but you do not know that the West Bengal government has not provided land to BSF for fencing the border. Having hundreds of kilometers of open border is the main reason for cross-border infiltration. So blaming the BSF will not help you.” The officer said he would hold a press conference on Monday in which he would share information about the border fencing and the ”deliberate lack of coordination between the police and the BSF”. do.
(This news has not been edited by NDTV team. It is published directly from the syndicate feed.)
