The Union Home Minister will participate in a “Bara Khana” with SSB personnel. The traditional community meal will be part of his interaction with the security force during the Siliguri SSB programme.
Shah was accompanied by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Another significant aspect of Shah’s three-day Bengal visit is reportedly linked with the review of security arrangements around the strategically important Siliguri Corridor, popularly known as the “Chicken’s Neck”, people in the know said. The narrow corridor is crucial for connectivity between the rest of the country and the northeastern states.
The Home Minister is also expected to chair a border-security review meeting on August 22. Apart from the SSB programme, Shah is scheduled to attend a series of programmes in Siliguri on Friday including border security and exhibition in regard to awareness about India’s new criminal laws.
Shah will also attend an event at Kawakhali Ground in Siliguri–an exhibition on the country’s three new criminal laws. The three new criminal laws are the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA). These laws came into force on July 1, 2024, replacing the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act.
The programme is scheduled in the afternoon and it will include an exhibition and public programme focusing on the new legal framework. The programme will be attended by Union Minister for Education (MoS) Sukanta Majumdar.
“We have transferred land to BSF and that process is still ongoing. Already 252 kilometers of fencing has been completed. Land has been acquired and we are currently acquiring the rest of the land for the fencing process. Except the riverine borders, the entire West Bengal border will be fenced. Amit Shah comes to the state almost every month to oversee everything from border security issues,” senior state minister Dilip Ghosh said.
