Union Home Minister Amit Shah will begin a multi-state visit to India’s forward posts along the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders, starting from the western sector before traveling to the eastern border over the next month.
During his visits, Shah will unveil smart border projects and chair high-level security reviews, people familiar with the developments said.
The first visit will take place in Bikaner, Rajasthan, where Shah will arrive late Monday and interact with officers. On Tuesday morning, he will visit the BSF’s remote Sanchu outpost in Bikaner. In Sancho, he will attend the ‘Prahari Sammelan’ to interact directly with BSF soldiers stationed in the harsh terrain and virtually inaugurate barracks for women workers.
On Tuesday afternoon, Shah will chair a comprehensive security meeting with senior officials from the Home Ministry, Rajasthan government, and superintendents of police of five border districts.
According to officials, the Home Minister is expected to outline a smart border project and a security framework to counter future threats on the Western Front.
On May 29, Shah will travel to Bhuj district in Gujarat, where he is scheduled to inspect the deployment of Border Security Forces and survey the strategically sensitive Harami Nala area in the Rann of Kutch – a swampy area considered sensitive due to its difficult terrain and previous infiltration attempts.
On June 5, Shah will travel to Tripura to review border control and infrastructure development. Tripura has an 856 km long border with Bangladesh along its northern, western and southern borders.
In mid-June, Shah is expected to travel to West Bengal, where he will review security arrangements along the India-Bangladesh border and discuss issues related to cattle smuggling, human trafficking, and other concerns.
The plan to visit West Bengal comes weeks after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) historic victory in the state assembly elections earlier this month, ousting the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC).
The BJP had made infiltration a major issue in the recently held state assembly elections, and its top leadership, including Shah, accused the former TMC regime of not doing enough to secure the border and stop infiltration from Bangladesh.
On Saturday, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who led the BJP’s campaign against Mamata Banerjee in the elections, announced that his government would implement the party’s core election promise to “detect, delete and deport” illegal immigrants and ordered all district magistrates to immediately set up dedicated “detention centres” to house apprehended illegal immigrants awaiting deportation.
