Strict vigil on int’l borders in view of polls
Darjeeling: Though having a history of peaceful polls, Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, part of the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency, one of the most geopolitically sensitive areas of the country, are all set to go to polls today.
The area is in close proximity to four international borders, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) under China and Bhutan. The constituency also boasts of the ‘Chicken Neck’ or the ‘Siliguri Corridor’ - a narrow strip of land connecting the North East states with the Indian mainland.
“Nepal and Bangladesh borders will be sealed from P-3 day (3 days prior to polls) with exemption for medical emergencies, essential goods, voters of Darjeeling PC on production of valid documents and Indian citizen or foreign tourist on production of valid traveling documents,” stated a Press note from the Darjeeling District Magistrate who is the District Election Officer. “The Darjeeling district shares a 105 km open border with Nepal. The ‘D’ company of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) at Manebhanjan, 27 km from Darjeeling town, conducted a joint patrolling operation with Nepal Armed Police Force on the India-Nepal border to check security arrangements in view of the Lok Sabha elections,” stated Neeraj Kumar Mishra, Assistant Commandant. During this, the force led by Mishra, checked the open border and took stock of the security arrangements.
“People around the India-Nepal border were told that if any kind of suspicious activity comes to their notice, they should immediately inform the SSB. The frequency of patrolling on the India-Nepal border has also been increased,” stated Mishra while talking to Millennium Post. The SSB, formed in 1963, was declared as the border guarding force and lead intelligence gathering agency for the Indo-Nepal border in January 2001. Meanwhile, after completion of his three-day official visit to the North Bengal Frontier from April 23 to 25, Ravi Gandhi, Additional Director General (Eastern Command) BSF, left for Head Quarters of Border Security Force (Eastern Command) in Kolkata. In the three days, the ADG visited various border areas and forward posts in the North Bengal region to take stock on the situation. Incidentally, the BSF is deployed on the India-Bangladesh border.
