Kolkata, May 3 (IANS) The Eastern Command of the Border Security Force (BSF) witnessed a change of guard, with Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal taking over as Additional Director General (ADG).
The change comes at a time when the situation in Bangladesh continues to remain volatile, and the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB) is witnessing infiltration attempts.
A report submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) after the recent communal riots in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal stated that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh were part of the mobs that resorted to violence.
The Calcutta High Court ordered the deployment of the BSF in the district to control the situation.
The BSF’s Eastern Command is in charge of the International Border (IB) with Bangladesh along the states of West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
Apart from smuggling, activities such as infiltration and human trafficking are rampant along this border, part of which is riverine and unfenced.
Effective border management is a major challenge, both due to the terrain and the involvement in crime by the border population on both sides.
The handing over of charge to an experienced IPS officer like Aggarwal is being seen by many as an effort to strengthen defences along the border further. He took over from Ravi Gandhi, who has now taken over as ADG (Logistics) at the BSF Headquarters in New Delhi.
“The former ADG did an excellent job during his 14-month tenure. He toured the border extensively and supervised the setting up of new outposts and other installations,” said a senior MHA official.
He added that the former ADG also directed the CPWD to complete fencing of the border as soon as possible, adding that in certain areas, the BSF’s line of domination has also been extended to the zero-line.
“He visited the Murshidabad and Malda districts after the communal strife and took stock of the situation by speaking to the victims and officials of the state. We are sure that the new ADG’s vast experience will come in handy in taking things forward,” the MHA official noted.
Political unrest in Bangladesh has complicated border management and demanded greater vigilance from the BSF in recent months. Aggarwal has previously served as Joint Director of the CBI in Chandigarh. His four-year term as ADG was cleared by the MHA in January.
“Besides countering trans-border crimes and smuggling, there is a need to make perceptible changes in the attitude of the border population towards border management. Particular focus needs to be kept on the youth so that unscrupulous elements do not misguide them towards cross-border crimes,” Aggarwal said in a message soon after assuming charge.
–IANS
jayanta/dan
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
