The Central Government has increased the scope of investigation of the Border Security Force (BSF) in West Bengal, Punjab, and Assam. Now BSF can investigate anyone up to 50 km inside the border instead of 15 km. The suspect can be arrested. He doesn't need anyone's permission for this. Even Mamta Banerjee can not interfare in this matter.
The Mamata government of West Bengal has come out in protest after this change was announced. Actually, Bengal shares an international border of 2216 km with Bangladesh. The nine districts of Bengal are Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, Kolkata North, South 24 Parganas bordering Bangladesh.
Basirhat is at a distance of about 70 km from Kolkata and this is where the Bangladesh border is located. That is, according to the 50 km rule, now BSF can take action in Kolkata. However, Mamta Banerjee is not at all happy will this rule. And she is protesting against this rule.
In the 9 districts, BSF has got the right to act. There are 148 assembly seats and 23 Lok Sabha seats. This means that out of the 294-member assembly, half the seats are coming in these districts. At the same time, half of the Lok Sabha seats have come under the ambit of the new change. That is why TMC is strongly opposing it. She feels that the BSF will take the desired action of the Center. And this will reduce the powers of the police.
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya is a senior journalist in West Bengal. He says the districts close to the Bangladesh border are less broad and long in length. With the radius of investigation up to 50 km, almost half of a district has come under the ambit of the BSF.
It has to have a political impact. Already in Bengal, all the agencies including the CBI, ED of the Center are investigating. From time to time TMC leaders are also called for an investigation. Now the fight between the two parties will be more evident.
There are also allegations of corruption on the BSF on the border. Senior journalist Prabhakar Mani Tiwari says BSF's record is poor. BSF officers have been caught taking fake notes. In such a situation, now the people living in the districts adjoining the border may have to suffer.
Tiwari says, in the year 2011, the Manmohan government had brought a similar bill. At that time, there was a proposal given to BSF. The proposal gives the right to investigate anywhere in the whole country. But then the BJP opposed it the most.
Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi at that time, also wrote a letter to PM Manmohan Singh in protest against this. Now the BJP itself has made a similar change. Against which TMC is standing.
According to TMC's state general secretary and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, this is an attempt by the Center to enter Bengal via the back door. They say the work of stopping infiltration is done from the border. There should be strict security. What is the need for investigation inside the city?
And if the investigation still happens, only the cooperation of the police will handle the issue. But after the new change, there will be no need to ask the police. A large area is going under the Central Force. We are investigating this entire matter.
However, BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya says, this was a very important step for the security of the country. We had been demanding this for years, which has now been fulfilled.
