Novel coronavirus is taking its toll on BSF personnel deployed in Tripura’s Dhalai district but the deployment of Tripura State Rifles and state police as the second line of defence has ensured security along the Indo-Bangladesh border remains “as tight as ever”.

Tripura has reported 64 Covid-19 cases, all BSF personnel and their family members in the past five days, of whom 62 are active and two were released from hospital after their test reports came negative.

A public relations officer (PRO) of BSF Tripura Frontier said vigilance was as tight as ever and adequate steps had been taken to bolster security along the border.

According to him, TSR and state police personnel were deployed as the second line of defence just after the lockdown began.

“Even the district magistrate has been made responsible for looking after the border area as village volunteers were also deployed, he said.

Additional director-general of police (law and order), Rajiv Singh, said they had deployed TSR jawans and state police personnel in the unfenced areas of the international border as the second line of defence, in consultation with BSF, to strengthen security in view of the Covid-19 outbreak in Bangladesh.

Tripura shares a 856km boundary with Bangladesh, of which around 60km was still unfenced across the state in different places. Dhalai district shares a 55km border with Bangladesh, of which around 28km was unfenced.

The official also said BSF was not allowing its personnel already deployed on the border in Dhalai, to return to the headquarters, after its personnel and their family members tested positive.

“We are not allowing BSF personnel, who are already deployed in bordering areas of Dhalai district, into the headquarters. After 62 cases were detected in the 138th Battalion headquarters in Ambassa subdivision, the health and police administration has sealed the area. The deployed jawans are now living at other border outposts or somewhere else,” the officer said.

Across Tripura, BSF has 18 battalions and manpower of 800 in each battalion. Among them, around 450-500 from each battalion are posted along the border areas.

In Dhalai district, BSF has two battalion headquarters, the 86th and 138th battalions, both in Ambassa subdivision. However, there has not been a single positive case detected in the 86th Battalion of BSF.

“We have two battalions in Dhalai district and it has full manpower to dominate the area day and night. The border area is fenced except for a few stretches. Wherever there is a gap, those areas have been fully plugged with improvised wired obstruction. The security situation is fine but we cannot carry out reinforcements since there is a possibility of detection of more Covid-19 cases, the PRO said, adding smuggling and infiltration was almost nil in the border areas in Dhalai.

“Earlier, smuggling and infiltration was rampant in the border areas but now the number has gone down to zero. There is total lockdown in the state and there is no need to panic. Bangladesh has also deployed its army on the border and there is no chance of infiltration,” the officer said.