Entire West Bengal under cloud of security threat: Sen
PTI | 08:08 PM,Aug 16,2010Kolkata, Aug 16 (PTI) Amid inputs that the Indian Mujahideen was trying to launch a possible attack on West Bengal, a top official today said the entire state is facing a security threat."The porous Bangladesh border is a serious security threat for West Bengal," state Chief Secretary Ardhendu Sen said here and referred to inputs that the state was facing possible threats of attack by IM. Sen said the security position in Darjeeling was so delicate that it had the potential of disturbing harmony in many areas of north Bengal. "If the problem in Darjeeling was not resolved, then this may seriously disturb the co-existence of many tribes and castes living in areas in the north," he said at an interaction at the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce here. On tomorrow's meeting with leaders of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, fighting for a separate state in the Darjeeling hills, Sen did not pin much hope, saying "prospects of reaching an agreement does not seem bright, though some progress can be made." On Sunderbans, he said that due to the geographic profile of the region, it was not possible to police the entire region. He said that following the Mumbai attacks, the state government had stepped up coastal surveillance by setting up police stations. The state government will issue identity cards to fishermen and make registration for boats. He said though districts like Malda, Nadia and Murshidabad had come under Maoist influence and there was evidence that some were staying in these areas, the situation was not very disturbing. "Our experience in Jangalmahal had been mixed. We lost our people. But we also have been able to arrest many active squad members at the middle level," he said. Sen said although none of the top-rung extremists had been arrested efforts were on to nab them. He regretted that resource crunch was a major hurdle to enhance the level and quality of policing. Sen said that the state government had sought Rs 260 crore from the 13th Finance Commission for upgrading the training facilities and the money had been granted.
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