Cross-border Infiltration

Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari slams CM Mamata on blaming BSF for infiltration

Adhikari accused Banerjee of indulging in 'low-level politics' by blaming the BSF for infiltration, stating that the security forces serve the nation, not the government

Security strengthened in Kolkata after arrests of Bangladeshi infiltrators

Security was strengthened in Kolkata ahead of New Year's Day following the arrest of two Bangladeshi infiltrators from the heart of the city, Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma said. Addressing a press conference, Verma said the police were surveilling the hotels and guest houses and had also asked their management to verify the backgrounds of their employees. "Because of the timely intervention of Kolkata Police, the recent arrests (of two Bangladeshi infiltrators) have been made possible. Our men are on the prowl," he said, replying to a question. To prevent any untoward incident on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, 4,500 police personnel would be deployed in Kolkata, he added. Verma said that watch towers have been set up to monitor crowds, and traffic police would be vigilant to stop drunken driving and rash driving. On concerns that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants managing to secure Indian passports with fake documents, he said, "We are abiding by guidelines of the Ministr

BSF deploys 2 more battalions in Jammu to check Pakistani infiltration

The Border Security Force (BSF) has completed the deployment of two fresh battalions, comprising more than 2,000 personnel, in the Jammu region to better plug infiltration from across the Pakistan front and check the recent spurt of terrorist activities in the area. Officials in the security establishment told PTI that the new troops of these units have been deployed "in depth areas" as the "second line of defence" just behind the BSF border deployment along the international border (IB) with Pakistan. These two BSF battalions were recently withdrawn from the anti-Naxal operations theatre of Odisha and have now been deployed fully in the Jammu region. This was a task to be accomplished before the onset of winters when securing the IB against infiltration from Pakistan becomes challenging, the sources said. The personnel of the new units have been deployed around the Samba area, some other vulnerable patches in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir and along the Punjab boundary that

India, Bangladesh discuss land port issues; commit better border facilities

India and Bangladesh on Tuesday decided to enhance cooperation in building infrastructure and operational efficiency at the various land ports and check-posts located along the 4,096-km long shared international border. The commitment was made during the 6th Subgroup meeting of the Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) with the Bangladesh Land Port Authority (BLPA) here. The LPAI functions under the Union home ministry. The bilateral meeting aims to strengthen ties and discuss issues related to cross-border infrastructure, connectivity and facilitation of trade between the two nations. The Indian delegation was led by LPAI Member (Planning and Development) Sanjeev Gupta with officials drawn from the border management division of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Border Security Force (BSF), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and Customs, among others. The Bangladeshi side was led by BLPA Joint Secretary and Member (Development) Tahmina Yeasmin along with officials from the Border

No infiltration by China on Himachal border, says Governor Shukla

Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Wednesday said there is no infiltration by China on the border of the state. His remarks came days after Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi said that drones have been spotted on the Indo-China border in Kinnaur district. "China has now understood that they cannot take even a single inch of Indian land," Shukla said. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event organised by the Panchayati Raj Department at the Raj Bhawan here. "China has now understood that they cannot take even a single inch of Indian land," the governor said. The tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti share a 240-km border with China which is traversed by nine high altitude mountain passes. When asked about the statement of Revenue Minister Negi that drones have been spotted on the Indo-China border in Kinnaur district and that they are likely being used for surveillance and espionage purposes, Shukla said, "I have visited the border areas of

Peace can be established in Bengal only after infiltration stops: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said peace can be established in West Bengal only when cross-border infiltration from Bangladesh stops. He claimed that illegal immigration from the neighbouring country will be stopped if the BJP comes to power in West Bengal in 2026. Addressing the inauguration of a new passenger terminal building and cargo gate at Petrapole land port along the India-Bangladesh border in Bengal, he slammed the TMC government over the issue of corruption and exhorted the people of the state to bring in political change in 2026. In establishing peace in the region, land ports play an important role. When there is no scope for the legal movement of people across the border, illegal modes of movement arise, which impacts the peace of the country. I urge the people of Bengal to bring in change in 2026, and we will stop infiltration, and peace will come, he said. There can be peace in Bengal only when infiltration stops Land ports play an important role in improv

Anti-infiltration grid 'very strong' along LoC, says BSF IG Yadav

A senior BSF officer on Saturday said the anti-infiltration grid along the Line of Control (LoC) is very strong and the security forces will thwart any infiltration attempts which tend increase ahead of the winter season. "The (infiltration) attempts increase before the winter, but the LoC grid is very strong with the coordination of the army and we will ensure that any infiltration bid is thwarted," Ashok Yadav, Inspector General in the Border Security Force (BSF), Kashmir Frontier, told reporters here. Describing the recent terror incidents in Ganderbal and Gulmarg as unfortunate, Yadav said the security forces are analysing the threats and taking measures to ensure they are not repeated in the future. "The security forces are working in coordination with each other. We analyse the threats and try to ensure that such incidents do not take place in future," he said. Earlier, a passing out parade and attestation ceremony of four recruit batches was held at the subsidiary training .

India slams Pak at UN, warns of consequences for cross-border terrorism

In a strong retort, India has slammed Pakistan in the UN General Assembly, saying its fingerprints" are on terrorist incidents across the world and the country should realise that cross-border terrorism against India will inevitably invite consequences. India exercised its Right of Reply in the UN General Assembly on Friday in response to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif raising the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in his address at the General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. This Assembly regrettably witnessed a travesty this morning. A country run by the military, with a global reputation for terrorism, narcotics trade and transnational crime has had the audacity to attack the world's largest democracy, First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Bhavika Mangalanandan said, delivering India's Right of Reply. She asserted that as the world knows, Pakistan has long employed cross-border terrorism as a weapon against its neighbours. It has attacked

Reinforcing bamboo fence: Meghalaya villagers on edge after B'desh unrest

From reinforcing a bamboo fence separating them from Bangladeshis to staying up all night for vigil, residents of a Meghalaya village located metres from the international border are on the edge fearing influx of people from the other side after unrest that overthrew the Sheikh Hasina government. The 90-odd residents of Lyngkhong village in East Khasi Hills district had erected a rag-tag bamboo fence along the border during the COVID pandemic to prevent petty crimes from across the border. Lyngkhong is one of several sectors in Meghalaya where border fence could not be constructed due to land demarcation issues and the presence of habitation within 150 yards of the international border pillar or zero line. A quick tour of the village revealed that most of the houses were located very close to the international border, while the only football ground is situated on the zero line, with children playing under the watchful eyes of the BSF at all times. Although Lyngkhong has not ...

Taiwan reports surge in activity by China's PLA near Taiwan Strait

The Taiwan Strait, separating Taiwan from mainland China, has been a frequent area of contention, with Beijing viewing Taiwan as a breakaway province and asserting sovereignty over the island.

Bihar resident Pakistan spy arrested in Kolkata, sensitive documents seized

An alleged Pakistan spy, who is a resident of Bihar, was arrested from Kolkata and sensitive documents were seized from his possession, a senior police officer said on Saturday. Acting on a tip-off, Kolkata Police personnel nabbed the man from his residence in Howrah on Friday. "He was found directly involved in activities prejudicial to the safety of the country," the officer said. The man was arrested late on Friday night after hours of grilling, he said. "Secret information in the form of photographs, videos and online chats were found in his mobile phone. These were sent by him to a suspected intelligence operative of Pakistan," the officer said. The accused person, who was working with a courier service company in Kolkata, earlier stayed in Delhi. The man will be produced before a city court on Saturday, he added.

Two BSF personnel, 21 civilians held for infiltration attempts since 2021

Two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and 21 civilians involved in infiltration attempts have been apprehended since 2021, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik said that to stop infiltration along the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders, the government has adopted a multi-pronged approach which includes round-the-clock surveillance and patrolling on the borders and establishment of observation post, increase in number of the BSF personnel, construction of border fencing and floodlighting. Use of water crafts and boats and floating border out posts for domination of riverine areas, advance technological equipments such as hand-held thermal imager, night vision device, twin telescope and unmanned aerial vehicles, upgradation of intelligence setup, and enhanced coordination with the state governments and intelligence agencies were also part of the multi-pronged strategy, he said. "Two BSF personnel and 21 local persons/civilians

UP ATS questions Pak citizen Seema, Indian partner Sachin for second day

Pakistani citizen Seema Haider, who entered India illegally in May, was picked up by Uttar Pradesh Police's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) for questioning for a second day on Tuesday, an official said. Her Indian partner, Sachin Meena, with whom Hiader is currently staying in Greater Noida, has also been taken for questioning by the agency, the local police official said. The cross-border couple were first interrogated by the UP ATS on Monday at its office in Noida and the duo was released late in the night. Haider, 30, and Meena, 22, were first arrested by the local police in Greater Noida on July 4 but were granted bail by a court on July 7.

BSF, Punjab Police recover another Pak drone near international border

A joint team of Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police, on Sunday morning recovered another Pakistani drone near India-Pakistan International Border in Amritsar district.The drone was recovered from the outskirts of Kakkar village in Amritsar following a search operation launched by the BSF and Punjab Police on specific information.During the search, the BSF said, its troops along with police personnel recovered a drone from the farming field adjacent to Kakkar village."The recovered drone is an assembled Quadcopter," said the BSF, adding "yet another Pakistani drone was recovered by the joint efforts of BSF and Punjab Police."Earlier on Saturday, the BSF recovered a drone near India-Pakistan Border in Punjab's Tarn Taran district.The drone was intercepted at around 9.05 pm on Friday near Pallopati village in Tarn Taran district and the BSF troops immediately reacted to intercept the drone as per the laid down drill.The drone was also a Quadcopter of the model - DJI Matrice 350

Army on high alert in J&K along LoC to thwart infiltration by terrorists

The Army has intensified its vigil along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri and Poonch districts to thwart any attempt by terrorists to infiltrate into this side to disturb the Republic Day celebrations, taking advantage of low visibility, officials said. The border security grid along the 220-km LoC, starting from Sunderbani sector in Rajouri and ending at Saujiyan in Poonch, was maintaining the highest alert due to inclement weather for the last five days, the Army officials said. They said there was intermittent rainfall in the entire stretch for the last five days coupled with foggy conditions and low visibility. The possibility of infiltration attempts by terrorists to disturb Republic Day, taking advantage of the low visibility remains there. So we are alert to foil their nefarious designs, an Army officer said. He said though the troops guarding the LoC always remain on high alert round the clock, extra alertness is maintained on several occasions like

'More soldiers injured on China's side,' says BJP MP Gao on border clash

Arunachal-East MP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tapir Gao on Tuesday said that more Chinese soldiers were injured during the clash with Indian troops

Multi-pronged approach helps reduce infiltration in J&K: Govt report

Multi-pronged approach has helped reduce terrorist infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir since 2017 with the number of such attempts dropping to 73 in the year 2021, according to a report by the Union Home Ministry. The annual report for 2021-22 made public by the ministry said the Centre in tandem with Jammu and Kashmir administration adopted a multi-pronged approach to contain cross-border infiltration. This included strengthening of the border infrastructure, multi-tiered deployment along International Border, Line of Control and near the ever changing infiltration routes, construction and maintenance of border fencing, and construction of culverts and bridges on nullahs. The efforts of the security forces were further helped by proving of improved technology, weapons and equipment, improved intelligence and operational coordination, installation of floodlight on the International Border and synergizing intelligence flow to check infiltration and pro-active action against terrorists

Targeted killings in Kashmir to continue remain a challenge: DGP

Security forces are alert at the border to foil infiltration attempts of terrorists: DGP Dilbag Singh

Infiltration along Indo-Bangla border on decline: Govt tells Rajya Sabha

The number of cases of infiltration along Indo-Bangladesh border reduced to 489 last year from 654 in 2016 and 955 people were apprehended by the border guards

Army's pivot to the north

An overhaul of an Indian strike corps' operational role constitutes a strategic signal that will resonate equally in Beijing and Rawalpindi