West Bengal allocates land to BSF for installing barbed wire along border

The West Bengal state government has handed over 27 kilometers of land to the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in the first phase for construction of barbed wire along the Bangladesh border.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari gave this information at a press conference at the state government's administrative building, Nabanna, on Wednesday. He said that out of the total 4,000 kilometers of the India-Bangladesh border, 2,200 kilometers are in West Bengal. Of this, 1,600 kilometers have barbed wire, but the remaining 600 kilometers are still incomplete.

Suvendu had announced the decision to transfer the land within 45 days in the first cabinet meeting on May 11. He alleged that the previous Trinamool government did not give this land because it was doing 'appeasement politics'.

At the same press conference, the Chief Minister said that illegal infiltrators not covered by the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be arrested and directly handed over to the BSF and they will be deported from the country. He said that this order will come into effect from Wednesday.

It is worth noting that tensions arose between the two countries during the Bangladesh interim government over the construction of an 'unauthorized' barbed wire fence along the border. According to the 1975 policy, the consent of both countries is required for the construction of any defense installation within 150 yards of the zero line.