Kolkata: The BSF has increased the number of “sensitive and vulnerable” spots along the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal and ramped up vigil there to check the influx of the Rohingyas into the country.
“Earlier we had identified 22 “vulnerable” spots, but now we have increased it to 50. These are vulnerable and sensitive spots from where both Banglad-eshis and Rohingyas can cross over. We have increased our vigil,” P.S.R. Anajaneyulu, inspector general of police BSF (south Bengal), said.
These sensitive locations are spread across North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, and Nadia districts. All these spots fall under the south Bengal frontier formation of the BS, he added.
According to the BSF, some of the vulnerable areas include Petrapole, Jayantipur, Haridaspur, Goalpara and Tetulberai.
According to the BSF officials in the south Bengal frontier, 175 Rohingyas were apprehended in the last few years by the BSF, of which seven were caught in this year.
The BSF is also enhancing its local source base and working with different central agencies to identify and track the movement of the Rohi-ngyas, he said.
Of the 4,096-km-long Indo-Bangla border, 2,216.7 km is in West Bengal. Terming the Rohingya refugees as “illegal” immigrants, the Union government on September 18 had submitted before the Supreme Court that their continued stay posed “serious national security ramifications.”
Thousands of Rohingyas, described by the Union government in 2013 as one the most persecuted minorities in the world, fled from their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine state recently to escape a military crackdown.
