Amid a war of words between West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and ruling Trinamool Congress over the extension of jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF), the Director General of BSF, Pankaj Kumar Singh, called on Dhankar in New Delhi. The governor tweeted that Singh spoke about better coordination between state police forces and the Army. "DG @BSF_India Shri Pankaj Kumar Singh today called on Governor WB Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar at New Delhi and indicated that all efforts are being made to generate seamless coordination @WBPolice @MamataOfficial, and there will be due focus on its lawful role and security of borders," Dhankhar tweeted.
DG @BSF_India Shri Pankaj kumar Singh today called on Governor WB Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar at New Delhi and indicated that all efforts are being made to generate seamless coordination @WBPolice @MamataOfficial & there will be due focus on its lawful role and security of borders. pic.twitter.com/P1ac0lvoE7
— Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) December 13, 2021
The Union home ministry had recently amended the BSF Act to authorise the force to carry out search operations, seizures and arrests within 50km from the international borders of Punjab, Bengal and Assam, up from the previous 15km jurisdiction. Both Bengal and Punjab have passed resolution against the order in their respective state assembly.
The Bengal CM has time and again disapproved of the Centre's decision to extend the jurisdiction of BSF. She has recently asked police officers of certain bordering districts to bar entry of BSF personnel in villages without permission.
The governor wrote to Banerjee in response, maintaining that her stance can be "potentially alarming" for federal polity and national security.
TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, in a letter on Friday, insisted that remarks made by the governor on the issue will demoralise the police force of state. "It doesn't behove the occupant of the office of the governor to make such statements in flagrant disregard of the Constitution," he told the governor. Roy further stated that the governor must be aware that the international border does not "penetrate 50km into India" and that law and order is a state subject. Dhankhar's statement has thus "negated the principle of federalism which is a basic structure of the Constitution of India", the TMC chief whip in Rajya Sabha said.
Responding to Roy's accusations, the governor said that the Rajya Sabha MP has also "not taken into account the provisions of BSF Act 1968" before writing to him. In a letter to Banerjee on Thursday, Dhankhar has said that he is deeply concerned over her 'directives' to the state police. Claiming that the CM's stance is not in sync with the BSF Act, 1968 and the Centre's notification for expansion of the force's jurisdiction, Dhankhar alleged "her statements [and not mine] are provocative".
-Inputs from PTI
