West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari marked Diwali 2026 alongside Border Security Force (BSF) jawans at a border outpost in Hingalganj, on the India-Bangladesh border, on 8 November. The visit — described by officials as a first-of-its-kind gesture by a Bengal chief minister — drew an explicit parallel to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's long-standing tradition of celebrating Diwali with the armed forces.

What Adhikari Did at the BSF Camp

The Chief Minister arrived at the camp in the morning, distributed sweets and diyas to the jawans, and greeted them on both Diwali and Kali Puja. He reportedly spent an extended period with the personnel, speaking with them about their daily lives and the challenges of border duty. The visit was accompanied by a substantive policy announcement: the state government will make land available to the BSF for border fencing, clearing a backlog that had stalled work under the previous administration.

'The land the BSF needed for fencing, held up under the previous Government, has now been handed over, and the State will give more land if it is needed to secure the border,' an official government statement said.

The Apology Over Past Treatment of BSF and CRPF

In a pointed political statement at the camp, Adhikari issued a public apology on behalf of the state government for what he described as the previous regime's treatment of central security forces. Speaking directly to the jawans, he said, 'The previous government in the state, the way they treated the BSF, the way they used it, for this, I, as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, apologise for this misdeed of the previous government. The bad words that they used against the BSF and the CRPF... The people, the common person, have responded to this in the end. This is the land of Swami Vivekananda. He said, Leave what has happened behind and move forward. Now we have to move forward.'

The remarks are a direct reference to years of reported friction between the administration of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the BSF, particularly over border fencing and the deployment of central forces in the state.

New 'Seema Mitra' Award for Border Personnel

Adhikari also announced the creation of the 'Seema Mitra' award, to be instituted from next year. The award will recognise exceptional service in guarding the country's borders and will be extended to personnel of the BSF, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and the West Bengal Police. A dedicated selection committee will shortlist awardees each year.

'We will give the Seema Mitra award from next year for BSF, SSB and West Bengal police personnel,' the Chief Minister said, according to the government statement.

The Broader Significance

The visit carries significance beyond the symbolic. The India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal has been a persistent flashpoint — over illegal crossings, border fencing disputes, and the operational latitude granted to the BSF in the state. Under the previous state government, the relationship between Nabanna and the BSF was notably strained, with the Centre and the state clashing repeatedly over border management. Adhikari's gesture signals a deliberate policy reset, aligning the state more closely with the Centre's border security posture at a time when cross-border tensions have remained elevated. The fencing land handover, in particular, is a concrete step that security analysts have long flagged as overdue.

The 'Seema Mitra' award, meanwhile, is likely to become an annual fixture that institutionalises the state's engagement with border forces — a relationship his administration appears intent on rebuilding from the ground up.