West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee got furious on the stage of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Kolkata on Saturday. Mamta also had an argument with the officers of the Border Security Force (BSF) during this period. Mamta alleged that BSF jawans are harassing common people in Bengal.
Why Mamta is angry, 3 reasons…
1. Deployment of BSF in 10 districts of Bengal
West Bengal’s border is adjacent to Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. BSF has been deployed for vigilance in 10 districts here. These districts are- Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Malda, Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, South 24 Parganas, Nadia and North 24 Parganas.
Due to the implementation of the new law, most parts of Jalpaiguri, Uttar Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Malda and Coochbehar have gone under the control of BSF. Also Murshidabad district headquarters and two big cities of North 24 Parganas are also under BSF.
2. 21 Lok Sabha seats, whose land is under BSF control
There are a total of 21 Lok Sabha seats in the 10 districts of Bengal where BSF is deployed. In 2019, Trinamool Congress won 12 of these seats and BJP won 7 seats. Congress had also captured 2. BJP got only one of these seats in the 2014 elections.
Mamata fears- If BSF is not controlled, the people of these areas may get angry with Trinamool and it may suffer in the upcoming elections.
3. More impact in North Bengal, the demand for a separate state is arising here
The new law of BSF has had the most impact in North Bengal. Most parts of Darjeeling, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, North and South Dinajpur here have come under the control of BSF. Mamta Banerjee has become politically weak in North Bengal in the last 8 years.
Except Dinajpur in the 2021 assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress was defeated in most of the districts of North Bengal. After the elections in Bengal, the demand for a separate state of North Bengal is also gradually gaining momentum.
What changed in the rules, 3 big things…
- To prevent infiltration, earlier BSF could conduct search operations up to 15 km inside the border area. It has now been changed to 50 km.
- Earlier permission from the magistrate had to be obtained before arresting someone in the border area. After the change in the new rules, permission is no longer required for arrest.
- Before any kind of action, BSF used to coordinate with the state police. This no longer happens.
Why the change in the law, 2 arguments of the Center…
1. Stopping infiltration and smuggling- The biggest reason for the change in BSF law is to stop infiltration on the India-Bangladesh border. The Centre’s argument is that the intruder used to enter India after completing a journey of 15 kilometers in one night, due to which many times there were problems in catching him. It has been simplified by changing the rules.
2. Stopping the drone problem- In the last three years, around 100 drones have been recovered in Punjab, which is located along the India-Pakistan border. According to a report, 12 drones have been received in 2019, 32 in 2020 and 46 in 2021 so far. BSF law has been changed to prevent drone intrusion.
Impact in 12 states, maximum protest in 2
Change in new rules of BSF has maximum impact in 12 states Gujarat, Ladakh, Punjab, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura , has happened in Nagaland, Jammu and Kashmir and Assam. However, it is being opposed the most in Bengal and Punjab. The biggest reason is the increasing interference of BSF in the border of these states.
What kind of action BSF has? Has the right to search, seize and arrest. After action BSF informs the local police station.
When was BSF formed, where is it posted?
BSF was formed on 1 December 1965 after the India-Pakistan war. At present, there are a total of 192 battalions in BSF, which includes 3 NDRF teams. BSF jawans are deployed on the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders. Apart from this, BSF has also been deployed in some Naxal affected states.