Border with Bangladesh to be sealed in Malda

The 173-km long international border with Bangladesh will be sealed as Malda will go to polls along with the rest of north Bengal during the first phase of assembly elections in West Bengal on April 18.

Official sources said today the stretch will be sealed from April 16, two days prior to the polls to prevent miscreants from causing trouble.

A total of 112 companies of central paramilitary forces would fan across the district to man 260 booths, 150 of which has been marked as ‘sensitive’, the sources said.

District Magistrate Rajesh Kumar Sinha said 50 booths would be put under webcasting - i.e. round-the-clock online surveillance.