In the wake of the escalation in violence in neighbouring Bangladesh, the West Bengal government has tightened security along the border, senior officials of the State Home Department have said.
“All the police stations located at vulnerable positions along the India-Bangladesh border have been alerted,” the officials said.
When contacted for his reactions to reports about an exodus of people from across the border to West Bengal, Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee told The Hindu : “We have no such report.”
Border Security Force officials said their personnel had been alerted and the situation was normal so far.
West Bengal had seen a major influx during the ethnic violence in Assam prompting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to say that although it was a strain on the State, one could not turn away a refugee.
Twice in the past, during the years around India’s Independence and the 1971 Liberation War, West Bengal had seen a mass exodus from across the border.
On trade, it was learnt that all border trade has stopped. Nine of West Bengal’s total 19 districts share a border with Bangladesh and one third of the total India-Bangladesh trade takes place through West Bengal.
