Kolkata: In response to the rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the Border Security Force (BSF) and intelligence agencies have tightened security along West Bengal’s coastal regions, particularly in the vulnerable South and North 24 Parganas district.
Amid fears that hostile elements may exploit the ongoing cross-border conflict to infiltrate Indian territory via the Bay of Bengal, central and state intelligence agencies have intensified surveillance along the 250-km coastal stretch of the Sundarbans spanning South and North 24 Parganas.
The move follows the recent arrest of 24 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators — including women and children — from a coastal village in South 24 Parganas, raising red flags over potential human trafficking and cross-border networks.
“The 350-km riverine stretch of the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal has always posed a security challenge, as fencing is not feasible and physical surveillance remains the only option,” a senior BSF officer said, adding that while the force maintains constant vigilance, the risk of infiltration via waterways remains high.
Sources in intelligence agencies said that starting Thursday evening, coastal security operations were intensified with forces placed on high alert along the eastern seaboard. By Friday morning, police presence was bolstered in key coastal blocks — Gangasagar, Namkhana, Patharpratima, Canning, Gosaba, and Basanti — while the Sundarban Police District deployed additional speedboats to patrol vulnerable estuaries and waterways frequently used by infiltrators and smugglers.
“All coastal police stations have been put on maximum alert. Round-the-clock monitoring, mobile patrols, and riverine surveillance are being conducted to secure vulnerable zones,” a senior police officer of Sundarban police district in South 24 Parganas said.
Sources in the district police administration said that 13 remote islands in the Gosaba block are of particular concern due to their isolation, limited law enforcement presence, and regular use by local fishermen, prompting authorities to mandate valid identification for fishermen and initiate random police checks to verify credentials and prevent misuse.
“We are inspecting all suspicious vessels and verifying passenger identities as part of our intensified operations,” a senior state police officer said on condition of anonymity.
Sources in the police confirmed that the interrogation of two JMB terrorists — Ajmol Hossain (28) and Saheb Ali Khan (28) — arrested in Birbhum district on Friday morning revealed they frequently entered Bangladesh using the water route.
To prevent inland movement of illegal entrants, security checkpoints have been established along the Basanti Expressway, a crucial link between Kolkata and the Sundarban islands. The BSF and Indian Coast Guard have also ramped up patrol across maritime and land routes as part of a coordinated, multi-agency effort to bolster coastal security.
“While much of the military focus remains on India’s western frontier and the Line of Control (LoC), authorities remain vigilant against potential multi-front threats, including maritime incursions or sabotage attempts from the east,” a senior official of the state home department said.
