As West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is driving a wedge between the BSF and the Bengal police and asking her police to not allow BSF personnel to enter villages without their permission, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has said that her stance is potentially alarming for federal polity and national security.
“Your (Mamata Banerjee) stance has sent disturbing signals and is potentially alarming for federal polity and national security,” Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said in a letter shot to the Chief Minister.
Governor sent a letter in response to Chief Minister during her regular administrative review meetings issuing directives to concerned district police to ensure BSF operates within 15 km inside the international border, that too with permission of local police.
Urged @MamataOfficial to urgently revisit directives concerning @BSF_India , including ‘BSF is allowed for 15 km, that too with permission of the police’ being not in sync with law.
— Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) December 9, 2021
The stance is potentially alarming for federal polity and national security. pic.twitter.com/naHWUahFBg
The Governor has urged her to urgently revisit directives concerning BSF as her directives are not in sync with law or the recent Union Home Ministry notification increasing the jurisdiction of the BSF in Bengal from 15 km from the border to 50 km.
“In the State having international border with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, BSF and Central Armed Police Forces play significantly well defined crucial role from the perspective of national security and containing criminal illegal activities,” he said. He said that the law and order agencies of the State and the central armed forces play their respective roles and perform their assigned duties in a coordinated and synergic manner to ensure overall safety and security.
The Governor said that hence it would not be good to create confrontation and combat amongst these agencies and State apparatus. “This imperatively calls for, in public and national interest, that your directives, instructions as also stance regarding functioning of BSF in the State be revisited so as to generate an environ of harmony and cooperation,” he said.
Mamata Banerjee asks police to check the BSF movement
Chairing an administrative review meeting at Gangarampur in Dinajpur district on December 7, the West Bengal CM had issued the instruction that BSF will be allowed to operate only within 15 km of the border, that too with police permission. Again on December 9 she chaired a meeting at Krishnanagar in Nadia district, where she ordered the district police to carry out rigorous searches at security checkpoints (naaka) and increase mobility.
She said that as the border with Bangladesh starts from Karimpur, district police will have to keep their eyes open. She directed police to ensure that the BSF doesn’t enter the border villages and carry out any activity and operation without the knowledge of local police. Stating that law and order is the state subject and the BSF should do what it is mandated to, she said that the torture of common people will be not be tolerated.
Bengal and Punjab opposed extension of BSF jurisdiction
Mamata Banerjee has been opposing the decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to extend the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) from 15km to 50km inside the international border in West Bengal, Assam and Punjab that share their borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Although the BSF has denied any parallel policing and any encroachment on the jurisdiction of local police, the CM is ready to create a confrontation that will have a negative impact on the integrity and security of the country. She also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revoke the order.
Governor snubs CM on worrisome human rights condition in Bengal
In a fresh development, the Governor on the Human Rights Day also snubbed the Chief Minister over human rights violations in Bengal.
“Worrisome HUMAN RIGHTS violations. Only Rule of Ruler and not of law,” the Governor said. He added that a highly Politicised bureaucracy constitutes severe threat to democracy.
Worrisome HUMAN RIGHTS violations @MamataOfficial. Only “Rule of Ruler and not of law” @India_NHRC. Need for massive uplift
— Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) December 10, 2021
Politicised bureaucracy @IASassociation @IPS_Association @WBPolice @KolkataPolice constitutes severe threat to democracy. #HumanRight #HumanRightsDay2021 pic.twitter.com/R9vSVlbkII
In the video message, the Governor said that human rights violations in Bengal are on the extreme. The administrative setup and officials act like political workers and people are so scared that they even don’t talk about this. He said that the situation is so painful that the human rights commission which is supposed to protect human rights is on a ventilator according to its chairperson.
