Union home secretary arrives in Kolkata to meet Bengal officials

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla arrived on Friday morning as he will hold a meeting with senior officials of the West Bengal government on various issues, including the extension of the jurisdiction of BSF, during the day, an official said.

Kolkata: Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla arrived here on Friday morning as he will hold a meeting with senior officials of the West Bengal government on various issues, including the extension of jurisdiction of BSF, during the day, an official said.

State Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi, Home Secretary BP Gopalika and Director General of Police Manoj Malaviya are likely to attend the meeting here, he said. They may discuss the issues related to the extension of the BSF's jurisdiction, he said. DMs and superintendents of police of border districts may not attend the meeting, the official said.

The Centre had recently amended the BSF Act to authorise the force to undertake search, seizure and arrest within a larger 50 km stretch, instead of 15 km, from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised the Centre's decision, alleging that it is an attempt to interfere with the federal structure of the country. She has also claimed that the move "meant to torture the people in the border areas".

PTI