The West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution against the Centre's move to extend the BSF’s (Border Security Force) jurisdiction to 50 km from the international border in the state.
The move comes nearly a month after the Centre decided to expand the BSF area of jurisdiction in West Bengal, Punjab and Assam. With the move, Bengal became the second state after Punjab where such a resolution has been passed.
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The Central government has amended the BSF Act to empower the border guarding force to carry out search, seizure and arrest within a 50 km stretch, up from the existing 15 km, from the international border in West Bengal, Punjab and Assam.
State parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee moved the resolution under Rule 169 of the Procedures of Conduct of Business of the House, saying that the Center’s decision to be withdrawn immediately as enhancing the area of jurisdiction of the BSF is a direct attack on the country's federal structure, media reports said.
The resolution was later passed in the House amid opposition by the BJP lawmakers.
West Bengal shares a 2,216 km border with Bangladesh. In southern Bengal, the border is more than 900 km long of which nearly 60 percent is riverine.
