Home secy to visit Bengal, discuss extension of BSF jurisdiction

New Delhi, Nov 12: Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla will visit West Bengal on Friday and hold a meeting with senior state government officials on various issues including the extension of jurisdiction of BSF, a top official said.

Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi and Home Secretary BP Gopalika are likely to attend the meeting in Kolkata, though district magistrates of border districts may not be present there, the official said, according to news agency PTI.

"At tomorrow's meeting, Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi, Home Secretary BP Gopalika and state DGP Manoj Malaviya are likely to be present. The meeting may not take place at the state secretariat but some other place in New Town (near the city)," the official said.

District magistrates, particularly those in the state's border areas, are likely to skip the meeting as per the directive of the state administration, he added.

The focus of the meeting will be the extension of the BSF's jurisdiction, he said.

The Centre recently amended the BSF Act to authorise the force to undertake search, seizure and arrest within a larger 50 km stretch, instead of 15 km, from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised the decision, alleging that it is an attempt to interfere with the federal structure of the country. She has also claimed that the move "meant to torture the people in those areas".

(PTI)