Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari rang in Diwali festivities with Border Security Force (BSF) jawans at a border outpost in Hingalganj, situated along the India-Bangladesh border in North 24 Parganas district, on Sunday, IANS reported. The Chief Minister reached the BSF camp in the morning, wished the jawans on Diwali and Kali Puja, handed them sweets and diyas, and spent time with them discussing their daily lives and challenges.

Source: IANS via HiIndia

According to a report based on Anandabazar coverage, Adhikari spent time with personnel of the BSF's 74 Battalion at its Hingalganj camp, travelled by speedboat on the Ichamati river, inaugurated a Kali Puja at the Hingalganj police station and held a meeting with police and administrative officials. The visit included discussions with the BSF about fencing along the Ichamati, a river that forms part of the border landscape in the area.

Source: UrbanAcres (Anandabazar report)

Fencing land handed over, more if needed, says CM

"The Chief Minister said that the land the BSF needed for fencing, held up under the previous Government, has now been handed over, and that the State will give more land if it is needed to secure the border," an official government statement said, as reported by IANS. The statement is the government's account of the handover; no separate BSF confirmation was included in the reports.

Source: IANS via HiIndia

Adhikari also issued an apology to the jawans over alleged derogatory remarks and behaviour of the previous regime towards the BSF and CRPF. Speaking at the camp, he said the people had responded in the end and that it was now time to move forward, IANS reported. The apology and the land announcement mark a sharp break from the previous government's strained relationship with the border forces over fencing, the report noted.

Source: IANS via HiIndia

'Seema Mitra' award from next year

The Chief Minister announced a new 'Seema Mitra' award from next year to recognise exceptional work in guarding the country's border, with a selection committee to shortlist the awardees. "We will give the 'Seema Mitra' award from next year for BSF, SSB and West Bengal police personnel," he said, as per the statement reported by IANS. The Hindu's report, carried by other outlets, likewise said the honour will be open to personnel of the BSF, the Sashastra Seema Bal and the West Bengal Police.

Source: IANS via HiIndia

During the river patrol, the Chief Minister alleged that people were waiting for an opportunity to enter India and said searches were being conducted along a stretch of the border, according to the Anandabazar-based report. Those were the Chief Minister's statements during the visit; the report gave no independent figures on infiltration and no details of specific arrests.

Source: UrbanAcres (Anandabazar report)