West Bengal on High Alert for Potential Infiltration from Bangladesh During Gangasagar Mela
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Kolkata, Jan 5 (NationPress) The government of West Bengal has been notified by central intelligence agencies regarding the potential for illegal infiltration by Bangladeshis through coastal borders, aiming to exploit the significant congregation at Sagar Island in the South 24 Parganas district during the Gangasagar Mela.
In response to this alert, the police in the Sundarbans district, which oversees the Sagar Islands, have committed to enforcing stringent security measures at the coastal access points for the Gangasagar Mela venue.
"The two coastal access points to Sagar Islands are Lot Number 8 of Kakdwip and Namkhana Chemaguri. A total of 13,000 police personnel will be deployed for the Gangasagar Mela. In light of the intelligence report, we will focus additional security on these two coastal access points," stated a district police representative.
Officers from the coastal police division will be actively patrolling the coastal waters surrounding the Sagar Islands.
The Indian Coast Guard will also be present during the days of the Gangasagar Mela.
This year's Gangasagar Mela is set to commence on January 8 and conclude on January 17. The holy bathing period for Makar Sankranti is scheduled from 6:58 a.m. on January 14 to the same time on January 15.
The highest attendance is expected during the holy bathing period of Makar Sankranti.
The district police representative further mentioned that 1,150 CCTV cameras have already been installed at Sagar Island for this occasion.
"Along with preventing illegal entries from Bangladesh, our objective is to ensure that this year’s annual event proceeds peacefully. Therefore, we are implementing heightened precautions this year."
"Typically, security measures are intensified during the Gangasagar Mela each year; however, this year, we are taking additional steps due to alerts about potential trouble from illegal Bangladesh infiltrators amid the political unrest in the neighboring country," the official concluded.
