Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday stopped short of asking police and civil administration officials in North and South Dinajpur districts to confront BSF personnel in case they entered more than 15km from the boundary between India and Bangladesh.

The chief minister’s directive was mainly for inspectors-in-charge and block development officers in the two border districts.

“Do you visit the bordering areas to check what they (BSF) are doing?” Mamata asked the civil and police administration officials at an administrative review meeting for North and South Dinajpur districts in Raiganj.

Then, she took care to explain how BSF jawans were allegedly threatening villagers and interfering in areas that came under the jurisdiction of state police frequently. The chief minister also recalled the “dubious role” of the BSF personnel during Assembly polls.

“The BDOs and ICs should visit the areas along the borders regularly.… In case you see that the BSF officials have come more than 15 kilometres from the international borders, tell them that it’s not their jurisdiction,” she added, passing an instruction that was likely to deepen the chasm between the Centre and the state on the issue of BSF’s jurisdiction along international borders.

The Centre had on October 11 issued a notification allowing the BSF to carry out searches, seizures and arrests up to 50km within the Indian territory from the international borders. Earlier, the force had the jurisdiction up to 15km.

The decision of New Delhi drew sharp protests from Nabanna and Mamata had dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 24, urging him to revoke the notification and calling it an infringement on the state’s powers and an assault on the federal structure.

At the review meeting, Mamata sought to embarrass the Centre by referring to the recent carnage in Nagaland in which 14 innocent civilians died in firing by Assam Rifles jawans.

The issue has already become a thorn for the Modi government as the demand for the repeal of the AFSPA, which gives sweeping powers to armed forces, has gained momentum in different parts of the country, especially in the Northeast.

“You saw what happened in Nagaland recently.… You may also remember the Sitalkuchi incident (that had occurred in Cooch Behar district during the Assembly polls, in which four people died in CISF firing). Recently, three people died in BSF firing in Cooch Behar,” said Mamata.

“They (BSF) are bound to take permission of the state police to come into areas beyond their jurisdiction. But they don’t seek permission and enter areas beyond their jurisdiction in bordering districts like the two Dinajpurs, Malda and Murshidabad. Our police don’t confront them on most of the occasions. This can’t be allowed as law and order is a state subject,” she added.

Then, she asked Manoj Malaviya, DG (police), to take up the matter with senior BSF officers.

MPs to meet Shah

A team of Trinamul Congress MPs will meet Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday in the Parliament to present a memorandum on the Nagaland incident.