Union home minister Amit Shah will attend the 61st raising day of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) at Ranidanga, located on the outskirts of Siliguri town, on Friday.
Shah’s visit to Bengal will be the second after the Lok Sabha poll results were out. The visit comes amid the political turmoil in Bangladesh.
Ranidanga is merely 10km from Fulbari on the India-Bangladesh border.
“During his short stay, the Union home minister is likely to take stock of the situation on the border. He will debrief officers of the BSF, which is guarding around 936km of the Bangladesh border in north Bengal,” a source said.
Shah will also virtually inaugurate accommodation facilities for BSF personnel at the Petrapole Integrated Check Post in North 24-Parganas. Petrapole has become a critical hub for bilateral trade and strategic operations. In light of recent unrest and incidents of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, the ministry of home affairs has reinforced its presence at Petrapole.
BJP sources have clarified that Shah’s visit will have no political agenda. However, party leaders, includingBengal BJP president Sukanta Majumder and Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, are expected to meet him during his day-long visit. Shah is scheduled to return to Delhi on Friday afternoon.
During his visit, Shah will primarily attend the SSB personnel parade. The SSB, which operates under Shah’s ministry, secures India’s northeastern borders with Nepal and Bhutan. The SSB’s Ranidanga headquarters oversees a stretch of 315km along the India-Nepal border and 215km along the India-Bhutan border in north Bengal.
“Even though the chicken neck always needed special attention, it is likely that the home minister will be apprised of the cross-border situation of both countries (Nepal and Bhutan),” a source said.
The 100km Siliguri corridor is often referred to as a chicken’s neck in defence parlance as the width of the corridor comes down to just 17 km with Nepal and Bangladesh on the two sides of the corridor.
At the Petrapole Land Port, Shah through virtual mode will inaugurate a new accommodation facility for border guarding forces. This facility, built at a cost of ₹30 crore, spans 13,339 square meters comprising four multi storied housing blocks can house around 250 personnel.
Previously, there were no such accommodations at the check post.
