The Border Security Force (BSF) and the West Bengal police are in complete disagreement over intrusion by Bangladeshi pirates in the creek areas of Sunderbans.
The security concern was raised by the West Bengal police during the recently-concluded DGPs conference organised by the Intelligence Bureau where the state police informed the home ministry about inputs regarding smuggling arms and ammunition and intrusion by Bangladeshi pirates in the creek areas of Sunderbans. West Bengal DGP Naparajit Mukherjee even suggested that the matter be taken up with Bangladesh. However, BSF director-general Raman Srivastava intervened and clearly denied having any such intelligence inputs. The BSF chief also asserted that the border guarding force “has been patrolling the area effectively”.
When the standoff between the BSF and state police on the issue could not be resolved, the Intelligence Bureau chief Nehchal Sandhu directed the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB), Kolkata, to elicit feedback of all security agencies in the meeting of the Subsidiary Multi Agency Centre (SMAC).
Notably, the problem of pirates operating in the vast waterfront of the Sunderbans area in West Bengal, where India shares the border with Bangladesh, is not new. Government sources said that the BSF, which has floating border outposts in the region, has been keeping a close watch to thwart such attempts by water pirates over the last many years.
But police sources admitted that the problem continues to persist with gangs of sea pirates , both local and Bangladeshi, operating in Sunderbans.
Intelligence officials admitted that the security threat by such activities has risen manifold in the last few years amidst concerns of Bangladeshi SIM cards brought in by the pirates reaching the hands of militants and criminals. Pakistan-based terror outfit HuJI, also has cadres in West Bengal, a security official said, adding that a closer vigil is required over the riverine border area.