Nityananda Rai, the Union minister of state for home affairs, on Thursday visited the India-Nepal border in Panitanki, some 40km from here, before heading for the Himalayan state of Sikkim.
Rai, who visited certain locations of the international border, was accompanied by senior officers of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) that guards the India-Nepal and India-Bhutan borders.
“The SSB has been guarding these two borders which share with our friendly nations with resilience and bonhomie. We have very close relations with Nepal and also excellent relations with Bhutan. Today (Thursday) I visited the borders to take stock of the situation,” Rai told journalists.
Rai visited the region within 20 days of the visit of Union home minister Amit Shah. On December 20, Shah was at the Siliguri frontier headquarters of SSB in Ranidanga on the outskirts of Siliguri to attend the raising day of the central security force.
During his visit, Shah had underscored the importance of the Siliguri Corridor — the slimmest parts of the Indian sub-continent, flanked by Nepal and Bangladesh in the north and the south. The SSB has been guarding the unfenced borders of Nepal and Bhutan for years and has checked infiltration and illegal activities, he had said.
The recurring visits of central ministers in and around Siliguri and the borders hints that the Centre is focusing on the region, considering the remarks made by a section of leaders in Bangladesh.
After the downfall of Sheikh Hasina, many, like leaders heading Bangladeshi terror groups like the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), have threatened they would cut off the “chicken’s neck” or the Siliguri corridor to sever the entire Northeast from India.
“It is evident that along with Bangladesh, the central government is equally focusing on two other international borders (Nepal and Bhutan), considering the strategic location of north Bengal and putting the security forces on alert,” said a retired police officer who has served in the region.
SSB sources said that Panitanki, in Kharibari block under the Siliguri sub-division of Darjeeling district, is a popular trade and transit route between India and Nepal. Every day, around 50,000 people and hundreds of vehicles cross the India-Nepal border through this route.
“Over the years, the SSB in Panitanki has arrested many criminals and infiltrators, including Pakistani and Chinese nationals. As it is a porous border, it is more challenging for the personnel to identify such people. Despite these challenges, it is being done,” said a source.