West Bengal's Bharatiya Janata Party government has moved to institutionalise its "detect, delete and deport" policy by directing all district administrations to set up "holding centres" for suspected illegal foreigners and foreign prisoners awaiting repatriation -- a step that appeared to give administrative shape to one of the party's most potent political themes in the state.
The West Bengal government is considering establishing holding centres near the Petrapole border in North 24 Parganas district to manage growing movement and congestion in border areas.
The handover is expected to be coordinated through the Dawki-Tamabil sector, where Indian and Bangladeshi border agencies regularly conduct such transfers.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed rallies in West Bengal, promising to address infiltration issues, resolve the Gorkha issue, and tackle corruption if the BJP wins the upcoming elections.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has promised to expel infiltrators from West Bengal and secure the border if the BJP wins the upcoming assembly elections. He accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of neglecting North Bengal and favouring Muslims in budget allocations.
This election is different. It is no longer simply about governance or welfare. It is about identity, fear, and who belongs. The BJP has successfully shifted the terms of the debate from what the government has delivered to who the real Bengali is and who is an outsider, points out Ramesh Menon.
Two suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were killed when army troops scuttled an infiltration attempt along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday.
The landmine exploded when the troops were patrolling in a forward area in Digwar sector this afternoon, the officials said.
The troops were on patrol duty when one of the soldiers accidentally stepped over the landmine near Khamba Fort in Nowshera sector around 10.45 am, triggering the explosion.
Major Raghunath Ahlawat (34), hailing from Delhi, was leading his team in a counter-infiltration operation based on a reliable intelligence input in Uri sector on Thursday.
The Border Security Force has ordered mobilisation of additional manpower at posts along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab and Jammu as part of its measures to strengthen the anti-infiltration grid and check the intrusion of drones carrying ammunition or drugs, official sources said Monday.
The operation at the Keran Sector in Kupwara is still underway, the Army said.
Two Indian Army personnel, including a captain, were killed and another was injured when suspected terrorists set off an improvised explosive device (IED) near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Akhnoor sector of Jammu on Tuesday. This was the third incident of cross-border action by terrorists in the Jammu region in four days, highlighting the ongoing security challenges in the area. The blast occurred while the troops were on patrolling duty near a forward post, underscoring the risks faced by security personnel in the region. Following the incident, the Army launched search operations in the area and expressed condolences for the loss of its personnel.
Police officials said the two operations were launched on August 28 based on specific inputs by Kupwara Police a day earlier.
The GoC said the security forces have also recovered a huge quantity of narcotics which establishes a deep nexus between defence establishments in Pakistan and terrorist groups.
The army has launched a major anti-infiltration operation against militants and suspected Pakistan special troops holed up in an area in Keran sector along Line of Control in which five Indian soldiers have been injured.
In a major blow to terror infrastructure and terror sympathisers in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, security forces have eliminated key launch commander Bashir Ahmad Malik in an anti-infiltration operation in the Uri sector, the army said on Thursday.
It was a joint operation by the army and Jammu Kashmir Police carried out on the intervening night of July 16-17 in the Krishna Ghati Sector of Poonch district, he said, adding arms and ammunition were also recovered from the site.
Security forces have recovered a Chinese-made M-16 assault rifle from the three militants killed Thursday during an anti-infiltration operation along the Line of Control in Uri, with the Army describing the recovery as "unusual".
Security forces killed five heavily armed foreign terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday and said it was the "biggest" infiltration bid to have been foiled since 2021, when India and Pakistan effected a ceasefire understanding.
'Terrorists who are active in Poonch and Rajouri are not relying on random locals for logistics, guidance etc.' 'They are being supported by a selected few who are being vetted, cleared and directed from across the LoC.'
The launchpads across the Line of Control in Kashmir valley are abuzz with activity, with around 60 to 80 terrorists, believed to be Afghan returnee mercenaries, receiving training with a possible push expected during summer months, officials in Srinagar said.
'The cache of arms recovered comprises five AK series rifles (along with six magazines and two sealed boxes with 1,254 rounds of AK ammunition), six pistols (with nine magazines and six rounds), twenty-one grenades, two UBGL grenades and two Kenwood radio-sets with one antenna'
The slain man was identified as Mohammed Shabbir Malik, a Pakistani national, equipped with weapons, ammunition and warlike stores.
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A top police official said that Pakistan is trying to infiltrate terrorists along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir even during the winters when most of the passes and mountainous areas along the border are covered in heavy snow.
The battalion in-charges have also been asked to set up a tactical base or operational centre at one of the forward locations along the Jammu frontier to ensure that there is no let up in security and an effective vigil is maintained.
The terrorists made an abortive bid during the night to infiltrate into the Indian side of the LoC in Machil sector in north Kashmir's Kupwara district, they added. The infiltrators were challenged and three of them were killed, the officials said.
'The surrendered terrorist in custody identified himself as Ali Babar Patra of Pakistan's Punjab. He has admitted he is a member of the LeT'
These Army posts -- some at the highest altitude of about 12,000 feet -- are the first line of defense against the intruders in these infamous, traditional routes of infiltration. These infiltration routes converge at the mighty Shamsabari range.
For the soldiers at this frontier, it's a battle that has to be fought on two fronts -- hostile neighbour and harsh winter, which is approaching.
"There are floods. Large number of leaders try to portray militant groups in a good way. A number of militant groups have sent their elements to Balochistan and Sindh for helping people affected by floods," Lt Gen Singh said.
BSF troops guarding over 180 km of IB with Pakistan have strengthened their observation posts and 'listening posts' to keep a close watch against any intrusion by drones.
Following the recent detection and killings of two Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bombers, who infiltrated the country from Pakistan, the Border Security Force has launched a massive drive to detect cross-border tunnels along the International Border in the Jammu sector.
The terrorists holed up in the Kashmir valley have been facing acute shortage of arms and ammunition and they are desperately looking for some help from across the border for the same.
The Indian Army on Tuesday said the ceasefire violation along the Line of Control in Kashmir, which left two soldiers dead, was part of terrorists' plan to infiltrate into the Valley before the natural passes are closed by snowfall.
'When the Indian Army carries out anti-infiltration ops, the Pakistan army willy-nilly will get involved in some way. So, it is imperative for the Pakistan army to act against militant groups.'
This is the second successful anti-infiltration operation by the Army in the last 24 hours.
The 15-day long Keran anti-infiltration operation has been called off, according to a top Indian Army officer.
Avalanches in Kashmir have caused extensive damage to the fencing along the LoC in the Valley, posing a fresh challenge to the anti-infiltration grid, the army said on Saturday.
