Bengal on alert, CM appeals for calm

The long-drawn unrest in neighbouring Bangladesh and the resignation and flight of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, along with her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, sparked a flurry of activities in West Bengal. While the Army has been put on high alert, the Border Security Force put in place additional measures to make the Indo-Bangla border impregnable.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had faced severe criticism for commenting on Bangladesh from her party’s Martyr’s Day rally, chose to be diplomatic about the happenings in the neighbouring country. On July 21, at her party’s rally, she had said that if someone from Bangladesh wanted to come to this country after losing everything, then assistance would be given to him/her.

Banerjee’s statement had drawn strong protest from the Government of Bangladesh and was also criticised across India. This time, however, Mamata has given a cautious response without sparking any controversy.

Today, the Chief Minister appealed to people of the State to remain calm and refrain from making “provocative comments”. She also pointed out that the entire issue pertains to the Centre and asserted that the State Government would abide by the decisions taken by the Government of India in this matter.

“We don’t know the details. We are all worried. In this situation, I would request everyone in Bengal to remain calm. No act should trigger any tension. Do not say anything provocative. The matter is under the Government of India. We will abide by whatever decision the Indian Government gives. It is a matter of two Governments and we will follow the instructions given by the Government of India,” Banerjee said.

The CM asked leaders of both her party and the BJP to maintain peace. “I will also ask BJP and our leaders to keep calm. Let the Government of India consider the matter,” she said.
State Government sources said that the District Magistrates and the intelligence units of the border districts had been put on high alert since the State shared a 2212 km-long border with Bangladesh.

Sources said that intelligence inputs had warned of possible incursion of people as well as terrorists from across the border. The Indo-Bangladesh border is 4096 km long and the States of West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram share its boundaries, which are often porous. Sources said barring a skeletal presence in the barracks, the maximum number of BSF troops had been ordered to be deployed on the borders with immediate effect.

Keeping in mind the sensitivity of the region, the newly appointed Director-General of Border Security Force (BSF) Daljit Singh Chaudhary visited North 24 Parganas district and Sunderbans area of West Bengal and reviewed the operational preparedness and strategic deployment of BSF in these important border areas.

“In view of the changed situation in Bangladesh, BSF has issued alerts along the Indo-Bangladesh border and the number of troops deployed along the border has also been increased,” a senior BSF official said.

Daljit Singh Chaudhary was accompanied by Ravi Gandhi, Additional Director-General, BSF Eastern Command and Maninder Pratap Singh, Inspector-General, BSF South Bengal.
“The purpose of this visit is to review the operational preparedness and strategic deployment of BSF in these important border areas,” the official said.

Chaudhary took over the additional charge of DG BSF on August 3 and his first official visit was to the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal.

BSF sources said the visit commenced with a detailed briefing of the Eastern Command by Ravi Gandhi, ADG Eastern Command BSF, at the South Bengal Frontier Headquarters. The briefing covered the strategic scenario and operations of the battalions of Eastern Command, wherein the Director General was apprised of the role of BSF in maintaining national security along the sensitive international border.

After the briefing, Chaudhary along with Gandhi and other officers proceeded to Dhamakhali where the Commandant of the 118th Battalion briefed DG BSF on the battalion’s water border responsibilities along Bangladesh en route to the Floating BOP deployed at T-junction, highlighting the unique challenges of the rainforest and water-rich terrain and the effective measures implemented to tackle border crimes including smuggling and illegal crossings.

The team of the BSF’s top-most officers also visited an outpost located in the dense forest in the Sundarbans delta since that was a route often used by intruders and smugglers.
The impact of the happenings in Bangladesh also had its impact on international air travel. Multiple Dhaka-bound flights from across the region were diverted to the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata while at least three aircraft bound for Kolkata were stranded in Dhaka after the airport was ordered to be shut down till midnight tonight.
Aviation sources said only military aircraft were being allowed to take off or land in airports in Bangladesh.

A Chennai-Dhaka flight with 81 passengers on board was diverted to Kolkata. The aircraft returned to Chennai after refuelling.
Indigo Airlines said in a tweet, “In view of the ongoing situation in Dhaka, all flights scheduled for tomorrow have unfortunately been cancelled. We understand that this may cause significant inconvenience and disruption to your travel plans and we sincerely regret this development.”