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regular-article-logo Wednesday, 22 January 2025

'Criminals should not be able to take shelter in Bengal': CM presses militant alarm

The chief minister’s missive comes at a time with the state police and some other agencies have arrested several militants of the Bangladesh-based terror group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ATB) and some other outfits

Soumya De Sarkar Published 22.01.25, 07:27 AM
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee at the public service distribution programme in Malda on Tuesday.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee at the public service distribution programme in Malda on Tuesday. Picture by Soumya De Sarkar

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asked state police and Bengal’s people to be on the alert to prevent militants from taking shelter in the state.

“The police and the people should be careful so that criminals or militants cannot take refuge in any hotel or rent a house in disguise. We will not allow criminals to take shelter here. If such elements take shelter, it is against the interest of the country, the state and society at large. We can expedite development only if peace prevails in the state,” Mamata said during a public service distribution event in Malda.

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The chief minister’s missive comes at a time with the state police and some other agencies have arrested several militants of the Bangladesh-based terror group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ATB) and some other outfits. Security agencies have also busted rackets involved in making Indian passports for Bangladeshi infiltrators with fake identity proofs.

“There is no place for the mafia, rioters and militants in the society,” she said, referring to the January 2 murder of TMC leader Dulal Sarkar in Malda. Chaitali, his wife, was on the dais on Tuesday during the programme.

The police arrested Narendranath Tiwari, a TMC leader from Malda, whom the party later axed, for masterminding the attack.

In her speech, Mamata also asked ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers and green police personnel to be vigilant in rural areas.

“ASHA workers visit households while the green police personnel work in the rural areas. If they find anything suspicious, they should bring it to the notice of the police,” said Mamata.

She also asked administrative officers working in the blocks and elected representatives to reach out to the people.

“They should reach out to people in villages and towns, especially those from the weaker economic sections of the society, to know their problems and take steps to address such issues,” said Mamata.

As on Monday, the chief minister on Tuesday repeated that those residing in villages near the India-Bangladesh border should maintain restraint.

“Some problems have cropped up on the other side of the border. The BSF handles security at the border. If they get engaged with people from the other side, those residing on our side should maintain restraint, instead of rushing to the border,” she said.

Malda is one of the districts which shares borders with Bangladesh. In Sukdebpur, a village in the district close to the international border, there was a face-off between Indians and Bangladeshis on Saturday. Eventually, the BSF and BGB had brought the situation under control.

In Malda, the chief minister inaugurated 123 projects and laid the foundation stones for another 76 projects. The estimated cost of these projects is 1,211.54 crore, she said.

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