Overview
- Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s new government, which cleared the transfer Monday, ordered officials to give the Border Security Force the required plots within 45 days to fence unfenced stretches.
- Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser said the country is “not afraid of barbed wire,” and the home minister put Border Guard Bangladesh on alert, while India urged cooperation on repatriating undocumented Bangladeshis.
- Official data cited in court filings show West Bengal’s 2,216.7 km border has 1,647.696 km fenced, with 569.004 km open, including about 112.78 km that authorities say cannot be fenced due to terrain.
- A 2023 Home Ministry affidavit blamed the previous state policy of direct land purchase for slowing handovers, and fresh reports from border villages highlight disputes over whether to use formal acquisition with higher compensation or direct sale.
- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomed the move as vital for curbing infiltration into the Northeast, a stance that underscores how gaps on the Bengal stretch have shaped regional security concerns.