West Bengal Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul on Sunday voiced serious concern over the security of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, calling on him to adopt bulletproof jackets, armoured vehicles, and jammer-equipped convoys following the arrest of a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) aide in the state. The minister made the remarks while speaking to reporters at Bagdogra airport in north Bengal's Siliguri, where she had arrived to attend programmes organised by the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC).

The Security Warning

Minister Paul said that Chief Minister Adhikari's habit of mingling freely with ordinary citizens placed his life in serious jeopardy. She specifically urged him to travel only with bulletproof protection and signal-jamming convoy arrangements. Her remarks came directly in the wake of the JeM aide's arrest, which she described as evidence of growing militant audacity in the state.

Paul's Allegations Against the Previous Government

'During the previous (Trinamool Congress) government's era, the citizenship of oppressed Hindus were withheld and fake documents were made available for illegal immigrants and militants. As a result of this long 15-year political stalemate, the militants are showing such audacity as to plan to kill the Chief Minister today. The Chief Minister should move around with bulletproof jackets, bulletproof cars and jammer-equipped convoys,' Minister Paul said.

She alleged that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) administration under former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had prioritised vote-bank politics over national security, which she claimed had allowed militant networks to gain confidence. The minister further alleged that the previous government had facilitated fake documentation for illegal immigrants and militants while denying citizenship rights to persecuted Hindus — charges the TMC has not responded to in the immediate reports.

Taslima Nasrin and the Appeasement Charge

Minister Paul also broadened her attack to cover the treatment of exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin, contrasting the current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's stated solidarity with Nasrin against what she described as the silence of earlier administrations. She alleged that Chief Ministers Jyoti Basu, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, and Mamata Banerjee had all engaged in religious appeasement and vote-bank politics, leaving Nasrin without political support despite her long-standing activism against injustice.

'As a woman, Taslima Nasrin has protested against injustice from day one and despite being steadfast in her ideology, none of the previous governments stood by her,' Paul said.

Broader Context

The JeM aide's arrest in West Bengal has sharpened political tensions in the state, with the BJP using it to question the law-and-order record of previous administrations. Notably, this is not the first time security concerns around Chief Minister Adhikari have surfaced — his public accessibility has been both a political asset and, according to his party colleagues, a potential vulnerability. How the state administration responds to the security advisory from within its own ranks will be closely watched in the coming days.